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NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 




' Tresident of, France 



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PUBLISHER ■ 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPAETE, 



FIRST PRESIDENT OF FRANCE. 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL SKETCHES, INCLUDING A VISIT TO 
THE PRINCE AT THE CASTLE OF HAM. 



<S:^ 




BY HENRY WIKOFF. 



NEW. YORK: 
GEORGE P. PUTNAM, 155 BROADWAY 

LONDON: PUTNAM'S AMERICAN AGENCY, 

Removed from Paternoster Row to 

J. Chapman, 142 Strand. 

1849. 



Til 



THE LI3RAR 
or CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



K%"^ 



/^i 



R. CRAIGHEAD, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, 
112 FULTON STREET, NEW YORK. 



PREFACE 



It is not merely in compliance with a customary form that I am 
induced to write these few lines of preface. My purpose is more grave ; 
and I ask the attention of those who may honor this unpretending 
brochure with their perusal, to a serious examination of the reflections 
that I am glad of such an occasion to express. The people of the 
United States are not aware of a tremendous fact, touching their 
interests, their honor, and their intelligence, which it is high time was 
announced in trumpet tones. They are not aware that they are, and 
have been since their political existence, living under an influence 
which misleads their minds, poisons their sentiments, and betrays their 
conduct into false and devious courses. They are not aware that they, 
the most independent, bold, and sagacious of all nations, are yet under 
the entire control of a foreign domination, the more absolute that 
its power is not suspected, and the more mendacious that its hypocrisy, 
its craft, and its presumption have never been brought into question. 
The time has arrived in the history of the world when the people of 
this country should be awaked from their illusions, and be demanded to 
exercise for their own good and the safety of liberty, that noble faculty 
of reason which has in them acquired a vigor, an acuteness, and 
a discrimination that has never before been witnessed amongst men. 
The fact — this influence, and the domination that I speak of — is, the 
complete ascendency of the aristocratic mind of England over the 
democratic mind of the United States. This displays itself in everything 
and everywhere. It guides our judgment of things, and determines our 
opinions of men. It has entered into our institutions, it has biassed our 
laws, it has shaped our ideas, and too often directed our sentiments. 



VI PREFACE. 

This may seem preposterous, but is strictly true ; and the cause 
is simple and natural, and obvious. We speak, unhappily for ourselves 
and the human race, the same language ; and thus, whilst we were 
compelled by circumstances to strike out a new and original road 
in politics, we have for ever remained under the pernicious influences of 
her literature, which, in a spirit as servile as corrupt, has devoted itself 
solely to the interests and supremacy of the aristocracy. Laden with 
prejudice, inspired with deceit, armed in sophistry, the literature 
of England, tainted by bribes or coerced by force, has had, from the time 
of Bacon to this day, but one mission, which it has skilfully and 
faithfully fulfilled — to strengthen the power and augment the wealth of 
the aristocracy, and to deepen the grievances and diminish the resources 
of the unfortunate masses. Philosophy, history, poetry, and romancej 
have all labored in this walk, have all employed similar means, and have all 
panted for the same goal. Is it wonderful, then, that we of the United 
States, who have read only English books and have unsuspiciously adopted 
English opinions, should have formed the most erroneous judgments, and 
settled down in the most mistaken conclusions of all past men and 
events. It is singular, it is humiliating, but it is true, that we have, for 
the most part, misread history, because we have pinned our faith 
on English statements, without allowing for their prejudices arising 
naturally enough from laws, religious, political, and social, which spring 
from sources the very antipodes of those from which ours should 
properly be derived. It may seem paradoxical, perhaps it is presump- 
tuous, it certainly is startling, but on reflection it will appear every day 
clearer, that all our knowledge drawn from the English school is 
worthless, because it is partial to a class and prejudicial to the whole ; 
because, in fine, it is sophistical, biassed, and false. In a degree less 
marked, the same observation can be applied to all other foreign 
literature, because they have all been fostered by governments on 
condition of their perversion and corruption. It is not to be supposed 
that the monarchies and aristocracies of Europe, possessing despotic 
power, would have suffered an enemy to rise up in their midst and 
proclaim their existence as incompatible with the happiness of mankind 
— the very end of government. This would have been the utterance of 
any honest oracle, had free leave been given to its inspirations ; for to the 
discerning eye of any philosopher and historian, the misery and confusion 
of the world have but one source, in the raisgovernment of irresponsible 



PREFACE. Vll 

men. It is too much to require of human nature that it will sacrifice 
its temporary interests for the sake of its connexions, even -when they 
are clear ; and thus it is that no American can peruse with advantage the 
writings of any European writer, English or foreign, of modern or 
ancient times, save for the mere facts recorded, and not even for them 
unless supported by all concurrent accounts. Before the 16th century 
such a thing as clear dispassionate truth was nowhere to be found in any 
written report of events, of actions, of opinions, of ideas. The minds of 
all men were stagnant, and covered over, like the green pool, with a 
thick and pestiferous coating of prejudice, which resisted all efforts to 
pierce and dissipate it. So imbedded were the thoughts of all in the 
moulds of received doctrine, so shaped were their sentiments by the 
dogmas of the schools, and so profound, unquestioning, and universal 
was belief, that truth, religious or political, was called heresy, and was 
hated, persecuted, and destroyed. Luther, at every risk, made a bold 
appeal to the reason of mankind, and this was the first blow — the only 
successful one — ever given to the authority which despotism, cloaked at 
one time under the garb of religion, and at another in robes of state, had 
wielded for countless ages over the world. In the 17th century, Bacon 
and Descartes carried on the work of intellectual renovation ; and their 
spirited, splendid, and triumphant exertions in the fields of science 
and philosophy, tended more and more to rouse the awakened minds of 
men, and to shake and weaken the domination of the graven image 
of authority. The intellect of the English Bacon was adequate to the 
discovery and demonstration of far greater truths than the purely 
scientific deductions he enunciated ; and that he perceived and fully 
comprehended them is evident from the last work of reform he engaged 
in. In asserting, ar he did, that all previous philosophy was fallacious, 
he went the entire length of pronouncing, in this indirect way, the 
plainest condemnation of all existing theory that was derived from it. 
He knew better than any one else the fatal effect of the blow he thus 
dealt on the tyranny which then kept the world in awe, and he conveyed 
to posterity this conviction in the touching words that escaped his dying 
lips : — " I leave my name and memory to foreign nations, and to mine 
own country after some time is passed over." Bacon was not the man 
to beard authority ; and perhaps, by a premature and violent death in 
consequence, he might have lost the chance of serving mankind 
as effectually as he did by disguising under the pedantry of science his 



Vlll PREFACE. 

noble efforts to stir up and strengthen the reasoning faculties of his age. 
The French Descartes took a different plan, as many conscientious men 
in Greece and Rome had done before him ; and, like them, was compelled 
at last by affronted despotism, to fly or die. The eighteenth century in 
France was indeed a marvellous epoch, and did more for the regeneration 
of the human race than all previous ones recorded. Truth was yet 
obliged to wear a mask ; but when it did show, as it constantly dared, its 
radiant features, they were recognised by thousands of sparkling eyes, 
and saluted with phrensy by enthusiastic crowds. Voltaire and the 
Encyclopaedists did wonders and performed miracles for the resuscitation 
of their countrymen, whilst all Europe shared and acknowledged, 
the benign efforts of their heroic ministrations. But what they preached 
by inuendo in France, was dauntlessly put in practice by kindred spirits 
in America. Their work in Europe was only negative, — denying the 
assumption of imposable auiliority over the minds and conduct of men? 
disproving the dogmas and reducing the maxims of the past which 
sought to influence them ; whereas, the labors of our ancestors were 
altogether positive, — founding new doctrines, building up new faiths, 
and creating new codes of action : in a word, the result was the 
annexation of truth itself. 

The nineteenth century has brought new sights and strange 
results before the universal gaze, and it behoves none to regard 
them with more interest, care, and impartiality than Americans. 
Amid the confusion and darkness which reign over the anarchy of the old 
world, he can only hope to see clearly by the aid of his torch lighted at 
the pure lamp of truth hanging in the temple of American liberty. May 
it burn for ever, and charm all nations with its holy incense. If we 
would know the history of the commotion which agitates all parts 
of Europe, it is not to foreign interpolations that we must have recourse. 
They are to be solved only by what De Tocqueville* calls the American 

■*= Since I have used the name of this very able and faithful writer, 1 will justify ray 
assertions that we are too much nose-led by English opinion,in citing the fact that we have 
adopted in this country the jRsuitical judgment of their press concerning his two last 
volumes of " Democracy in America." The first part of this noble work was devoted to 
an examination of our political institutions, whilst the latter portion was given to a far 
profounder and more novel analysis of their effect on our society. The result was so 
prejudicial to aristocratic institutions, that English writers at once cried it down, pro- 
nouncing these last volumes of far inferior merit to the former. This absurdly false 
opinion has been echoed and adopted in this country', and strange to say, not a single 



PREFACE. ix 

philosophy, that is, by the independent employment of our own reason, 
repelling all evidence conflicting with our experience and undefiled 
common sense. We must be vigilantly on our guard against the 
Specious sophistries of European writers, but above all against the 
subtle deceptions of the English aristocracy. 

It is by these means, — the constant display of great address, the unscru- 
pulous employment of plausible cant, the systematic exercise of the 
profoundest hypocrisy, — in a word, by the judicious use of the most 
refined craft, instead of the more uncertain element of force, that the 
English government has maintained its supremacy during the whole 
18th century and a part of this, while the rest of Europe, less skilfully 
guarded, has been convulsed and repeatedly overthrown. It is by 
deception, misrepresentation, and falsehood, that the aristocracy of 
England have preserved those iniquitous laws which pour into their own 
class all the wealth of the state, leaving the masses a prey to misery 
and degradation nowhere else seen in Europe. 

The very government itself is a juggle, for while it affects to be 
a mixed government of the most perfectly balanced character, it is, in 
fact, nothing else than the purest form of aristocracy the world has ever 
seen. The whole fabric of society is artificial and double-faced ; 
every institution is a pretext, with real purposes different from the one 
announced ; their entire body of laws is contrived in trick, and 
administered with the greatest partiality. 

The whole end and purport of the English system is by bold, but 
infinite adroitness, to fleece the people out of their rights and property. 
It is a game which has been well played, and abundantly successful, 
but whose final term is approaching rapidly, — more so than many here 
or there dream of. It were the easiest thing in the world to demonstrate 
these assertions by demonstrations that would carry conviction in every 
line, but this is not the place to attempt it. My only object now is to 
call the attention of the American people, and their press, to the fact that 

writer has come forward to confute or ridicule it ! There is nothing in the whole range of 
philosophy so conclusive of the pernicious effects of the cruelty of aristocratic institutions' 
or of the beneficent and durable results of democratic, than the commentaries of De 
Tocqueville upon our social system. This single work, which it is impossible to prize too 
highly, is a death-blow to any aristocratic constitution, and no wonder the government of 
England was alarmed at its lucid and cogent demonstrations, and set to work to undermine 
its authority. It is labor thrown away, for it will survive when the famous British 
constitution is no longer. 



X PREFACE. 

we have for years carried the disgraceful yoke of English prejudice ; 
that we have been led constantly astray by English perfidy, and that we 
have often been false to our origin and true destiny, in imitating English 
laws, in promoting class interests, and in forgetting our duties to 
humanity at large. It is time that we should awaken from this 
slothful and inglorious dependence on English oracles for a right 
knowledge of the events of the world, and a true appreciation of the 
characters and actions of men. It is to be obtained for the seeking ,and 
a short and even road to such discourses would be to take a directly 
opposite one to that the English guide-post designates. But something 
more than this is undoubtedly necessary, and it is incumbent on those 
blest with superior advantages for information to lose no opportunity of 
sharing its benefits with the American public. Our travellers abroad 
have not been inactive, and much has been written that is interesting 
and able, but their stay in countries is usually too short to afford oppor- 
tunities for deep and searching study of their various institutions. 

It is not from the most graphic description of the habits, tastes, and 
manners of a people, that we are to gather an accurate knowledge of 
their political and social position. Nor yet is it to be found in an 
earnest investigation of their existing constitutions and laws, for these 
are of the past, engrossed with its maxims, and revealing its prejudices. 
The condition of Europe is ever changing, and, to catch its tendencies, 
much residence, close observation, and impartial dealing with facts, is 
necessary to teach correct conclusions. Above all, the history of each 
nation is to be soberly studied, and from the mass of misrepresentation, 
the truly logical progress of events is to be traced back, link by link, 
which connects all human progress from the first glimmerings of civili- 
zation to its present marvellous expansion. The great difficulty which 
an inquirer has hourly to struggle with is the constant and subtle 
deceptions of historians, who, ever in the interest of the upper classes, 
not only garble and miscolor events, but invariably darken the character 
and distort the motives of the masses. All the confusion of history, all 
the contradiction of writers, and all the caprice and folly attributed to 
the people, arise from this single source. I will not slander men of 
letters so vilely as to insinuate that they love the false better than the true, 
and that their contempt of the oi polloi is so profound and intolerant, that 
they are incapable. of beHeving them ever in the right, or even justifiable 
defending rights of person and property. This was certainly the spirit 



PREFACE. X 

of Grecian and Roman literature, but the tone and statements of writers 
have greatly improved and softened since that day. No, the evident 
cause that so much injustice is committed is, that despotic governments 
possessing the power to coerce or corrupt, employ both unscrupulously, 
and hence the degradation of history, and hence the difficulty of arriving 
strictly at truth. I may add this further remark, which has repeatedly 
occurred to me upon interviews with distinguished men — writers and 
statesmen — of Europe, that they are for the most part utterly incapable 
of comprehending democratic doctrines, or realizing the possibility of a 
stable democratic organization. This may be explained partly in the 
opposition their interests find in such tenets, but still more from 
their want of all practical knowledge of such institutions. 

An American, therefore, rightly understanding the moral and unprece- 
dented character of the institutions of his own land, fully imbued with 
their humanitarian spirit, and clearly enlightened as to their world-wide 
purport, is, alone of all men, competent to pronounce honestly and 
learnedly on the constitutions of communities, the true end of laws, and 
the simple means by which the prosperity of the whole may be 
secured. 

With this double view, then, of essaying to rescue this country from 
its moral vassalage to England, and to spread abroad distinct and full 
ideas of the real sentiments which animate and direct the American 
heart and mind, I have in the simple sketches collected together 
in this book, begun a work which I intend hereafter perse- 
veringly, inflexibly, and, to say it with due reverence, even 
religiously to pursue. It will be seen by the discerning reader, that the 
object of my visit to the forlorn captive of Ham, was not merely to give a 
more impartial view of the character of Prince Louis Napoleon, but to 
avail myself of that favorable opportunity of imparting juster ideas of the 
situation of France, intermingled with glimpses here and there of the 
true character of our own country, so little understood abroad, and too 
often most mahciously underrated. If I had ever anticipated the honor 
of these rude and hasty compositions, written only for the ephemeral pages 
of a magazine, being converted into the durable and imposing shape of a 
book, I should, doubtless, have given them greater consideration, and 
endeavored to render them more worthy deliberate perusal. But 



Xil PREFACE. 



thinking them as likely to contribute to the great end already enlarged 
upon, I send them forth with " all their imperfections on their head," to 
whatever destiny it may please an indulgent public to award them. 

JVew Yorky February y 1849. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 



In passing from Philadelphia to New York, in the summer of 
1845, just previous to my departure for Europe, I stopped at the 
princely residence of the late Joseph Bonaparte, ex-King of 
Spain, to make mes adieux to its present owner, the young Prince 
de Musignano, who, having inherited this, along with other valua- 
ble property in this country, from his grandfather, had just 
arrived from Italy to take possession. 

The few brief hours to which I was limited sped rapidly in 
the gay society of my affable host, and his intelligent companion, 
M. Maillard, and we had barely time to glance at the numberless 
and splendid objects of art and curiosity which embellished this 
luxurious mansion, when a servant announced the approach of 
the New York train. 

As I was hurrying away the Prince I'emarked, " You are 
going to France ; why not make an effort to see my unfortunate 
cousin, Prince Louis. He will be glad, I am sure, to meet an 
old acquaintance, and I should be delighted, on your return, to 
receive personal tidings of his health, which, I am distressed to 
learn, is sadly deranged by his imprisonment. If you should 
succeed, tell him ****** j^j^jj g^y also that my 
best wishes are with him." 

I relate this simple circumstance because it explains in a 
word why I formed a resolution on the instant to get an interior 
view of the Citadel of Ham, if such an enterprise should prove 
at all compatible with the very rigid notions of political seclusion 
entertained by Louis Philippe and his ministers. During my 
stay in London, I mentioned my project to several friends of 

1 



2 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

Prince Louis, who thought the idea rather quixotic, as the go- 
vernment suffered no relations of any sort to be kept up with the 
lone captive of Ham. The late well-known refusal to allow one 
of his family, sojourning by permission for a few days at Paris, 
to visit him, was suggested as a proof of the impracticability, if 
not absurdity, of my hopes. There was one individual, however, 
whose views were more sanguine, and I was naturally more 
disposed to coincide with him ; but there were better reasons 
still to rely on whatever advice he gave. I am speaking of the 
far-famed Count Alfred d'Orsay, whose reputation is spread over 
the fashionable world of Europe and America, but whose real 
merits soar much beyond the frivolous accomplishments which 
have given him such wide celebrity. To be celebrated at all, 
no matter by what means, be they high or low, elevated or 
vulgar, talent I consider is indispensable ; and to obtain the 
social position held at one epoch by a Beau Brummell, and at a 
later by a Count d'Orsay, nothing short of mental superiority of 
a high cast is requisite. This idea is fully supported, at all 
events, in the present instance, for I have seldom in any rank of 
life, or amongst the higher grades of employment, encountered 
intellectual qualities of rarer excellence than those which distin- 
guish a man chiefly known in the light of a vain "carpet-knight." 
An elegant and fascinating man of the world, he undoubtedly is. 
An adept in dress, easy in manners, accomplished in the conven- 
tions of the drawing-room — a science apart, made up of the 
dictates of good breeding and the requirements of etiquette — 
fertile in conversation, and of brilliant wit, the Count d'Orsay is 
certainly well qualified to realize our visionary ideas of that 
paragon whom the poet describes as " the glass of fashion and 
the mould of form." Those, however, are rather the endowments 
which would secure him pre-eminence in the country of his 
birth ; for France is par excellence the land of society, and to 
succeed there grace of manner and charms of mind are indis- 
pensable. But in England the case is very dilTerent; and Count 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 3 

d'Orsay, with all his savoir /aire, would never have reached the 
position he has held for so many years unrivalled, without an 
equal skill and proficiency in those ruder, but still manly ac- 
complishments, which constitute the basis of his English popular- 
ity. The best rider, most daring sportsman, the skilful better, 
the inimitable shot, the unrivalled sparrer, these are the merits 
towering in English eyes, and which have made his name so long 
in England familiar as a household word. Of later years, 
abandoning these grosser occupations, he has, with that well- 
poised effort which never falls short of its mark, and which 
explains his marvellous success in all he has undertaken, given 
himself wholly up to art, and his productions in painting and 
statuary have already thrown the world of taste in commotion, 
and are building him up a reputation which, if less sounding 
than that he has hitherto enjoyed, is infinitely more enviable. 
But to me the attractive feature of Count D'Orsay's character 
has always been what the promiscuous world he lives in knows 
nothing about, and that is, his cultivated and aspiring intellect, 
which, in depth and keenness, is adequate to the comprehension 
of the grandest questions, and capable of estimating them ac- 
curately in their nicest details. His knowledge of men and 
things is extensive and rare, and his criticisms overflow with 
point and finesse. It is little imagined by the giddy crowd 
around him whose dulness is enlivened by his wit, that the 
showy man of fashion is a studious thinker and careful writer ; 
and that the moments of leisure, stolen from the gay dissipations 
of the London world, have been devoted to the record of his im- 
pressions on life, numbering some seven volumes of manuscript. 
Their merit may be inferred from the glowing praise bestowed 
by Lord Byron on his travelling Journal, written when only 
twenty years of age. In a word. Count D'Orsay may be es- 
teemed beyond comparison, the admirable Crichton of the day, 
and I have cheerfully allowed myself to run into this digression 



4 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

concerning this remarkable person, as so enviable a chance may 
never offer to give the result of many years' observation of a 
character variously interpreted, and little understood. 

It may be supposed, then, that his judgment has always been 
held by me in high esteem, and in all matters of small, or of 
greater pith, there was no one whose counsel I would receive 
with more consideration. He was an old and much attached 
friend of Prince Louis, and, therefore, of all persons, just the 
one to decide me on the feasibility of my proposed visit to Ham. 
I consulted him at once, and in his off-hand, racy manner, he 
replied instantly : " That's a good idea of yours. Yes, go and 
see Prince Louis, and give him the strongest assurances of our 
unabated interest in his welfare. Say how much his numerous 
and powerful friends in London deplore the wretchedness of such 
an imprisonment, but to be of good cheer, as we leave no oppor- 
tunity untried to shorten his sorrows, since it is unhappily out of 
our power in any way to mitigate them. I don't know whether 
you are aware," continued the Count, " that the health of his 
father, the ex-king of Holland, is drooping fast, and that his sole 
remaining wish is to embrace his unfortunate son once more. 
Tell Prince Louis that we are all exerting ourselves to the utmost 
to gratify this last earnest wish of a dying man, and that I gladly 
availed myself of the late presence in London of M. Thiers, to 
speak to him on this subject, and to urge him to use his position 
and influence with the King to accomplish this pious object ; and 
say that I received from him repeated assurances that both he 
and all the leading members of the chambers, would exert their 
best offices to that effect." 

" There is nothing," I replied, " would give me more pleasure, 
Count, than to be the bearer of such consoling tidings ; but you 
have overlooked one quite important point, that I came to Gore 
House expressly this morning to consult you about. How in the 
world can I manage to reach the Prince Louis, and what 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. O 

influence can I bring to bear on the French government to induce 
them to listen a moment to such an application from a simple 
private gentleman, and an American to boot ?" 

" You have hit it exactly," returned this ready tactician. 
" Just because you are an American, the government will be 
puzzled on what ground to refuse your request. I will tell you 
what to do. Employ no influence, attempt no intrigue, and give 
no trouble to your ambassador, but simply write a letter to the 
Minister of the Interior, saying that you are a resident of the 
United States, an old acquaintance of Prince Louis, and from 
friendly motives, desire to pay him your respects during a brief 
visit to France." 

This advice struck me as excellent, and I promised the Count 
to carry it literally into effect, and let him know the result. 
Perhaps it was a fortnight after my arrival in Paris, during which 
I had abandoned and resumed my project half a dozen times, 
that I suddenly, one day, sat down and wrote to the Minister of 
the Interior, in the manner and to the effect suggested by Count 
D'Orsay. A week elapsed and no reply whatever. I began, 
by degrees, to feel no little mortification at the contemptuous 
indifference of the puissant government of the barricades for 
what, I frequently represented to myself, was a perfectly polite 
and reasonable application from a " free-born American citizen." 
It is really amusing, but not the less true, that an American 
abroad scarcely ever gets into a passion with the impertinences 
or impositions of foreigners, whether governments or individuals, 
than he instantly falls back on his " reserved rights" of Ameri- 
can citizenship, and takes comfort in the somewhat vain and 
Pharisaical reflection, that " he is not as these men are ;" ridden 
over and trampled on, and obliged to submit unmurmuring to 
injuries and insults; but a glorious descendant of the men of 
'76, independent, and if need be, pugnacious. I was gradually 
working up to a rebellious pitch, and a second week's silence on 
the part of the government only tended to deepen my vexation, 



6 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

and render me a very fit subject for the treasonable designs of a 
conspirator against the stability and well-being of the famous 
government of July. It was very stupid, though, it occurred to 
me one day as I returned home ruminating, that I did not insert 
in my letter to the Minister the gentle hint that ray stay in Paris 
was brief, and that, if his excellency, Mons. le Ministre, enter- 
tained the smallest idea of gratifying my request, he would 
vastly increase my sense of the favor by doing it at once. 

" Eh lien, Pierre, no answer yet ?" I said to the porter on 
entering my hotel. 

" Non, Monsieur, ces gueux des minislres (Pierre was no 
Philippiste) would have too little to do if they attended to their 
business at once." 

But I wil not give it up, I muttered to myself, striding off. I 
will write him again, and have an answer one way or another. 
As I crossed the court-yard I met my landlord, who wore the 
important air of a man who had something to communicate. 

" You will be surprised to learn," he said, " that an officer of 
police has been here this hour past talking with my wife." 

"Not at all," I answered, " for everybody knows that Madame 
is a very attractive person." 

" Vous Hes Hen aimable, Monsieur, but it was not to see my 
wife that he came, but to look after you." 

I started, sure enough, with astonishment. " Look after me," 
I exclaimed in some trepidation, trying meanwhile to recall what 
peccadilloes liable to fine and imprisonment I had committed 
during my visit to Paris. Somewhat reassured by my retrospec- 
tion, I demanded boldly what business a police officer had with 
me. 

" Why, it appears you have been writing for permission to go 
see the Prince Louis." 

" Well, and are they going to arrest me for that ?" 

" Why, that depends " returned mine host significantly. 

" But the immediate object of his visit was to gather for the 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 7 

satisfaction of the Minister what information he could concerning 
you. His inquiries were numerous touching your position, your 
pursuits, and connexions ; but especially whether you had any 
political motives in desiring to visit Ham." 

" Well, I hope you gave me a good character V 
" No better than you deserve," said my old friend, with a 
polite bow. The French never lose an occasion to compliment ; 
and, after all, it is pleasant, especially in matters where one is 
doubtful. 

" We told him," he continued, " that we had known you for 
ten years and upwards. That you were a man of fortune ; fond 
of travelling ; of studious habits ; though, like all other young 



"But no conspirator, at all events," I interposed. 

" As to that we said we were sure, c'est a dire, that we didn't 
believe — for you know one must be very particular what they 
say to these gentlemen of the police — that you had any political 
desisjns whatever in seekino: to visit the Prince. We did not 
think it necessary to disguise that you had been for years 
intimate with many of the Imperial family, and my wife told 
him all about the flattering mission you performed for king 
Joseph."* 

* The matter here alluded to was a trust of some importance confided to 
me by the Count de Survilliers (Joseph Bonaparte), in 1836, when about quit- 
ting Paris to join my post at the American Legation in London. Many 
interesting and valuable objects belonging to the late Emperor Napoleon had 
been for several years secreted in Paris, but his brother, to whom they were 
bequeathed, had resolved on taking possession of them. He had requested his 

friend, the Duke of S d, to take them in charge, but learning that I was 

coming direct to London, the Count wrote requesting me to bring them over. 
I accepted the honor, though alarmed by the responsibility. The value of 
these relics was immense, comprising amongst others, the grand coUar of the 
Legion of Honor, worn by Napoleon on his coronation day, of gold, and 
Etadded with innumerable diamonds of the finest water. There were besides 
various jewelled snufF boxes, presents from the sovereigns of Europe ; hia 



8 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

" There, I think you have done it; for when the government 
hear this, they may grew distrustful and refuse my request, on 
suspicions entirely groundless." 

sword, formerly worn by Frederick the Great ; his own orders and decorations, 
etc. But what interested me far more than these gaudy gems were several 
cases of clothes and books, which had come from St. Helena, the contemplation 
of which brought the Emperor more vividly before me than even all the 
anecdotes I had heard from members of his family. As the tranks were 
opened one after the other to certify the various articles they contained, and 
my eyes fell successively on his linen, coats, uniforms, hat, and a pair of red 
slippers much worn, I felt as if I were looking down into his tomb, and gazing 
on his body, so intimately associated were these objects with his august person. 
The sight of the dark grey overcoat so often drawn in pictures of Napoleon 
overlooking the sea from the rock of St. Helena, filled me with emotipn, and I 
gazed on it till I am not sure a tear did not glisten in my eye. I was obliged 
to sign numerous hsts, verifying the receipt of the articles enumerated, and in 
my life I never experienced anxiety like that I suffered while they were in my 
possession. After leaving Paris, I was detained, unfortunately, two days at 
Boulogne by a violent storm which in the winter season is not uncommon in 
the English channel. The steamer refused to venture out, and I was com- 
pelled to find what amusement I could in this dull town. The chief source of 
my annoyance was the precious baggage I had with me, which began to attract 
attention in the hotel. Most of the cases were marked with the imperial 
cipher N., and curiosity took wing. My mysterious reserve only increased it» 
and I began to feel no small alarm. There's no tnisting French enthusiasm 
about Napoleon, and how did I know that once satisfied that this property had 
belonged to him, that not content with stealing all the brass nails from the 
boxes, they might, bhnded by their phrensy, think robbery no crime, and lay 
their irreverent fingers on whatever they could get hold of. The very appre- 
hension kept me close prisoner to my apartment, and I often got up in the night 
to count the cases over, to find that no advantage had been taken of my 
slumbers. At last, I had the good fortune to get safely to London, and 
deliver up my commission intact to King Joseph. I observed he was greatly 
affected at the view of these souvenirs, which were laden with so many 
recollections fraught with pleasure and pain. Whilst the lists were examining, 
and the articles laid out on tables, he would approach and regard them intently 
till he could no longer master his emotions, and then walk away. A kinder 
and truer heart never beat than that of the late Count de Survilliers, and his 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 9 

" Never fear, for to my great amusement the officer grew 
deeply interested in these details ; and what with talking about 
the Emperor, these relics, and his sad fate, his blood grew warm, 
and it was clear that he would put no difficulties in your way, 
or anybody's, to oblige the malheureux captive of Ham." 

" Well, what was the end of it, and did he hold out any 
early prospect of my getting a favorable return to my appli- 
cation ?" 

" Yes, he thought it was in his power to give such information 
as would attract the notice of the Minister ; and he intimated, 
besides, that the government was rather inclined to favor in the 
Prince the cultivation of an American acquaintance, as they 
were exceedingly desirous that he should make that country his 
home in case he ever got out of Ham again." 

" Really, a very sensible desire, and it would be a very satis- 
factory mode, indeed, of disposing finally of a somewhat trouble- 
some obstacle to the future fortunes of the house of Orleans. 
N^est pas, mon ami.'' 

So saying, I mounted to my salon, and congratulated myself that, 
at last, this sterile silence of the Minister was broken, and that my 
request had not entirely fallen to the ground. I was naturally 
led to indulge some pungent reflections on this detestable system 
of espionage, which, not satisfied with the results of its open 
machinery of passports, must needs thrust its secret fangs into 
the private affairs and history of any luckless wayfarer that 
happens to cross its path. This taking an inventory of one's 
character and habits was rather, I found, more novel than 
agreeable, and awakened sensations that, in spite of philosophy, 

devotion to the Emperor, history constantly attests it, was ardent, constant, and 
disinterested, up to the very last, when he came to Rochefort to offer Napoleon 
the certain means of escape which he had secured for himself, but which the 
iilmperor rejected. Not long after the small service related, I received from 
the Count a most flattering letter of acknowledgment, together with a silver 
goblet which had belonged to the Emperor, as a token of his satisfaction. 

1* 



10 NAPOLEON LOUIS EONAPAKTE. 

bordered a little on the indignant. It is certainly no easy matter 
for an American to break himself into all the humiliating 
restraints and exactions which belong to the degrading vassalage 
under which Europe still suffers. I doubt, indeed, whether 
during any epoch of the feudal period, France was more com- 
pletely tyrannized over than she is in this year 45 of the 1 9th 
century. Her government, placing no reliance on the sympathies 
or good-will of the nation, lives as it were in an entrenched 
camp. Besides an army of 400,000 men, the country is strewed 
over with gens-d^armes, and the cities are crowded by well 
disciplined corps of Gardes Municipales. But this apparently is 
the least effective part of its means of security, for it spends 
millions on an immense but invisible force of " secret police," 
which makes it an especial business, like the inquisition of the 
middle age, to introduce itself, unknown, into the household 
concerns and opinions of people, whose names and sentiments are 
registered, and which may at any moment bring down on their 
head the spiteful vengeance of the government. It is with 
difficulty an American can believe that, after so many revolutions 
and heroic struggles, the French enjoy no more personal liberty 
than a hundred years ago. They cannot travel from one town 
to another without a passport, and to be found without it leads 
direct to a prison ; and even when quietly reposing at home they 
are under the constant surveillance of the secret police. It is no 
bad proof of the popularity of a government, to compare the 
funds employed on this odious army of spies. In Napoleon's 
time the sum was very small, but under his successors the amount 
has gone on increasing, till in the budget of the day it is set 
down as twenty-two millions, though that is probably only a 
portion. This scandalous institution was organized under the 
despotism of Louis XIV., whose purpose was chiefly political, 
but his licentious successor put it to another and still more " 

disgusting use. Who could believe, that after the horrors and 
lessons which the revolution of 1789 had administered to 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 11 

monarchy, and after the radical reforms of the Emperor, that 
Louis XVIII., on his return to France in 1815, followed by the 
same corrupt class of nobles who had derived no wisdom from 
their long exile, dared deliberately to renew, in all things, the 
same system of government which had once been engulphed in 
an ocean of blood. Amongst the rest this disgraceful relic of 
former abuse, the secret police, was restored, and with more 
than its ancient vigor. To show that I do not exaggerate, I will 
give a brief extract from a book just published by Alexis 
Dumesnil, entitled the " Social Trials of France." It is speak- 
ing of the close of the reign of Louis XVIII., when prevailed a 
loathsome mixture of debauchery and false devotion, and the 
picture traced, repulsive as it may be, is all the more valuable as 
revealing the just and deep causes of popular hatred for the 
iniquities of the Bourbon Court : 

" The moment." says my author, " that the police of the kingdom was 
put in the hands of Director Franchet, fanaticism and hypocrisy received 
a new impulse. Every day the affected zeal of churchmen made sensi- 
ble progress, and every day also became more impenetrable the veil of 
false religion under which was concealed the most abominable license. 
On every side nothing was heard of but young girls seduced, and married 
women whose virtue was corrupted under sacrilegious pretexts ; whilst 
with similar plausible deceits, friends were secretly denounced and per- 
secuted. Who can say how many were led away by these mystic orgies, 
and to what extent of baseness women were degraded by a servile spirit 
of faction 1 Thus Madame Franchet was required to share with her 
husband the direction of the secret police, and at certain hours she was 
obliged to come to the King, and amuse him with the ignoble recital of 
the many scandalous adventures of the capital, in which he greatly 
delighted.* For it should be said, that from the time of Louis XIV. the 
Bourbons liked nothing so much as putting their own hands on these 
secret springs, and Louis XVIIL, while deriving^ infinite relish from 
these disgraceful revelations, nevertheless attached great importance to 

* This was exactly the habit of Louis XV., but that was before the revolu- 
tion of 1789. It is clear from this that more revolutions may be expected. 



12 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

whatever reached his ears by these subterranean channels. Thus it is 
seen, that under the Restoration, the police became the very soul of the 
government, which it rendered every day more suspicious and meddling. 
And the Jesuits, adding their own inquisition to that of the throne, a 
new system of espionage (of spying) was established, between which 
arose a novel emulation of baseness and perfidy which surpassed all that 
had hitherto been seen of the kind. The police put its foot everywhere, 
and corrupted the most sacred obligations of society. There was no 
profession, assembly, or company, that did not pay it shameful and 
cowardly tribute. The Chamber of Peers, the Chamber of Deputies, 
the French Academy, all classes of the Institute were infested with 
miserable spies ; they swarmed in the city, in the court, in the bosom 
of the church, and in the heart of the army. Old generals of the empire, 
and the most renowned of the opposite parties, were personally in com- 
munication with the Director Franchet, and they sold their ancient 
brothers in arms, their proper friends, just as they had before sold their 
Emperor, and afterwards betrayed the secrets of state. What faith can 
be reposed in the counsels or oaths of such heroes?" 

This was the state of things but some five years before the revolu- 
tion of 1830 ; and if credulous people suppose that any reform or 
abandonment of these vile practices followed that grand national 
flutter of three days, let me assure them that they are most 
egregiously mistaken. I have seen and known enough to be 
convinced that nothing short of another earthquake, or probably 
a series of them, will make the rulers of France shake off their 
old tastes and habits, and set to work sincerely to acquire new. 
I do not think it worth while to apologize for this and every 
digression I shall continue to make, for one of my chief objects in 
this sketch is, to give my reader a passing glimpse of France as 
it is, and not merely to intrude my egotism upon them. 

To go on with my story. It was the next day, I think, after the 
visit of the ministerial scout already noticed, that I received a 
summons to repair to the Prefecture of the police. What's coming 
now ^c I wondered ; is it a personal interrogatory that I am to sub- 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 13 

mit to ? I began to entertain serious notions of abandoning my 
trip to Ham, rather than undergo all the annoyances likely to ac- 
company it. But then, it occurred to me the occasion was excel- 
lent to add to my information of how things are managed in 
France nowadays, and my curiosity was as lively on this point as 
the " sentimental voyager's" of time past. Having fortified my- 
self with a goodly assortment of very circular replies to the 
dii^ectest questions that could be addressed me, I drove to the 
Prefecture. On the announcement of my name, my business 
seemed perfectly known, and I was conducted to the cabinet of 
one of the numberless under-secretaries, where I was received 
with great courtesy. The party in question advanced with a 
paper in his hand, desiring me to be seated, and, after an inter- 
change of polite remarks, came to the point. 

" The government," he said, " had received my request — could 
see no possible good reason for not entertaining it — on the con- 
trary, the government was most happy to have it in its power in 
any reasonable way to aid in mitigating the painful imprisonment 
of the Prince Louis Napoleon — that, to be sure, they were under 
the disagreeable necessity of refusing numerous applications to 
visit him, from just apprehension of unpleasant consequences — 
but that, in the present instance, no such objection whatever 
existed." 

" I am exceedingly happy to hear it," I I'eplied, with a cordial 
salutation ; " and when may I anticipate the favor of being allowed 
to set off?" 

" I was just going to add," replied the formal official, "that the 
Minister would have taken great pleasure in acceding to your wish, 
but he has been informed that Prince Louis has declined receiv- 
ing your visit." 

" Indeed," I drawled out with an emphasis that conveyed my 
undisguised astonishment. 

" Yes, I assure you," continued the functionary in his blandest 



14 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

manner ; " the government would have deemed it quite unneces- 
sary to interfere in this matter if his Highness had manifested the 
smallest concern about it." 

" Then, I may rely upon that ?" I asked, rather abruptly. 
" Oh, undoubtedly. I hope you will accept my positive assur- 
ance on that point." 

"I do so most cheerfully, and with a view to prove my entire 
confidence in your word, have the goodness to read this ;" hand- 
ing him a letter I drev/ from my pocket. The Secretary of the 
Prefecture of Police read it rapidly over, then turned it round, 
examined the postmark, and exclaimed in some confusion : 

" Why, this is a letter from the Prince, dated yesterday, ex- 
pressing his desire to see you at your earliest convenience !" 

" Exactly so, Monsieur ; I received it fortunately as I left my 
hotel to come here ; and as there is now, by your declaration, no 
difficulty whatever in the way of my departure, T need not assure 
you that I shall be greatly indebted to his Excellency, the Minister 
of the Interior, for permission to go as soon as possible." 

" There must, certainly, be a mistake somewhere," returned 
the Secretary, very much puzzled. 

" Vous avez raison, Monsieur, nothing can be clearer," and 
taking care to recover my letter, I withdrew. 

I have related the scene at the Prefecture just as it occurred, 
" nothing extenuating, nor setting down aught in malice," and to 
this day I have never obtained a clue to the mystification. I had 
reason to know before I got his letter that the Prince would be 
happy to see me, and, therefore, the " mistake" of the government 
is all the more inexplicable. It would be excessively indelicate 
to imagine, for a moment, that such high and mighty persons could 
condescend to a trick, or even give way to a lively itch for a 
practical joke. Therefore, I will not imagine it ; I prefer, rather, 
to live on with my curiosity ungratified, and content myself with 
the charitable conclusion, that mistakes will occur in the best 
regulated governments. No later than next morning a lancer 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 15 

galloped with considerable fracas into the court-yard, and touch- 
ing his hat a la militaire to the porter, handed him a formidable- 
sized missive from " Son Excellence, le Minislre de VInterieur, for 
Monsieur" — he took a look at my name, but galloped off again 
without venturing to pronounce it. A Frenchman can never 
pronounce anything he can't frenchify, and my Russian patronym 
is an overdose for most of them. Yes, sure enough, here was a 
letter from the Minister, all stamped, signed, and sealed with the 
arms of France, '' directing the commandant of the Citadel of 
Ham to allow the bearer (named) to communicate with Prince 
Louis Bonaparte." Well, that's settled. "Now, Baptiste," I 
said, turning to my servant standing by in mute expectation, 
" have the carriage at the door to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock, 
and order the postillions to be exact, for I mean to reach Ham (a 
distance of 30 leagues from Paris) by nightfall." 
" Tres Men, Monsieur.' ' 




16 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 



II. 



Baptiste was one of the most punctual of valets, and every- 
thing passed off the ensuing morning with due regularity. I had 
hardly finished my breakfast when the cracking of whips an- 
nounced the arrival of those debris of a bygone epoch in scarlet 
jackets and high jack-boots, yclept " Postilion," with their tough 
little horses, their tails tied up, and their harness none of the 
newest, whose neighing and kicking, mingling with their master's 
swearing, convey the impression of a competition between them 
as to which can make the most racket. 

Snatching up that j30Z-j90Mm of newspapers, delicious Galignani, 
I jumped in ; Baptiste mounted the imperiale, gave the word en 
avant, and away we went slap-dash amid the barking of dogs, 
and the cries of ho7i voyage from my landlord and landlady, and 
all the servants of the house who had clustered around. 

What a droll set the French are, and how readily they seize 
a pretext to do nothing, and talk about it ; and how they love a 
sight, no matter whether great or small ; whether the coronation 
of an Emperor, or a traveller starting on his journey. Out they 
come en masse, master and mistress, the porter and his wife, all 
the he and she domestics of the hotel, and last, not least, the 
corpulent cook with his white cap of paper. 

They group around, taking in reality (there's the wonder) the 
liveliest interest in the most familiar details ; talk kindly to the 
postillion ; discuss the horses ; inspect the carriage, — but none 
think of looking to see if the linch-pins are all right, as a Yankee 
would. — (This is a defect in the French, they never look after 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 17 

• 

their linch-pins in government, or anything else, and the conse- 
quence is, every now and then they come down.) Then they 
turn round to exchange sentiments on these obvious nothings, 
with the same gravity as if they were weighing affairs of state in 
the balance. Yes, they are a droll set, these dear French, in the 
eyes of an American, who never talks unless he has something 
to say, whereas the French talk for the mere love of the thing. 

These and similar, were my first reflections whilst rattling 
over the stones of the metropolis ; and as I cleared the Barriire, 
at which end of Paris 1 do not know, I opened my Galignani, and 
took a delightful souse in that capacious reservoir of news. That 
done, I lolled back in the well-cushioned corners of the carriage, 
and began to think, as I sometimes do, of what I was about. 
" Going to see Prince Louis," said I to myself. " Oh, yes, that's 
very true," replied myself to I, " but what are you going to see 
him for ?" That was a puzzler. It was five years ago, in 
London, April, 1840, on my way to America, that I met him for 
the first time at the hospitable table of his uncle, the Count de 
Survilliers. That dinner I shall ever remember, not only that it 
was the last time I shared the bounty of King Joseph, but from 
other interesting circumstances. Amongst his distinguished 
guests that day was the Countess of Merlin, whose late husband 
was one of his closest friends and chief officers during his stormy 
reign in Spain. Her presence seemed to arouse his feelings, 
and he conversed with more than usual animation. It was his 
habit to remain silent during the repast, occasionally drinking 
wine with some one he sought to honor, and when the hurly burly 
of eating was over to begin talking. As everybody knows, the 
Countess of Merlin is one of the most accomplished female 
strategists that the saloons of Pai'is have ever seen, and with infi- 
nite address she drew her former Sovereign back to the realms of 
his ancient power and grandeur ; and kindling with his recollec- 
tions, the floodgates of memory opened, and the whole company 
sat for an hour and upwards, intently listening to a variety of 



18 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 



curious and thrilling anecdotes that no history will ever record. 
Perhaps the deepest effect produced on me was the frequent and 
familiar mention of names royal and noble, that historians utter 
with reverence ; above all, was I strangely affected when speaking 
of the Emperor, he applied to him, ^s he constantly did, the affec- 
tionate phrase, startling from its novelty, of monjrere, my brother. 
The great charm of King Joseph's society, " the divinity that 
hedged him round," was his extreme simplicity of manners, and 
total absence of pride of any sort, I can hardly illustrate it 
better than by citing an occurrence I once witnessed in his 
drawing-rooms. A lady of high rank was about bidding him 
adieu, when overcome by her feelings of affection and ancient 
loyalty, she knelt down, and kissed his hand, a common mark of 
homage to reigning kings. Joseph seized her instantly by the 
arm., raised her up, saying reproachfully, " Madame,'^ and 'to my 
astonishment his cheek reddened. To relieve the embarrassment 
of the lady, he quickly broke a twig from some flowers standing 
near, and gallantly presented it with a good natured smile to his 
former " subject." It was natural that a man at his age should 
have been touched by this delicate stroke of flattery, for Lear, 
amid the wreck of his fortunes, still remembered that he was 
" every inch a king." But this was the character of Joseph Bo- 
naparte, as all will confirm who knew him in this country.* 

* Some two or three years ago an anecdote highly characteristic was related 
to me by the Hon. Charles J. Ingersoll, the legal counsellor and friend of the late 
Count de Survilliers, during his long residence in this country. One day when 
they were together, the conversation happened to turn on Prince Louis, who 
was well spoken of by his uncle, his parts commended, and his patriotism 
applauded — " but yet it is his misfortune," he continued, " that he has been 
brought up as a Prince. He has a great deal of valuable experience to learn, 
that I picked up easily in the rough school of adversity. Had Louis been 
compelled, as I was, to look about for a living, he would be less inclined to risk 
the solid comforts of his position by engaging in perilous conspiracies, though I 
am willing to do justice to his motives." This plain reference to the misfortunes 
of his family was the more creditable, as he was the most fortunate of all 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. ' 19 

Simple, engaging, and amiable, of sound understanding, benevolent 
heart, and elevated character, he was loved as a king, and respected 
as a man. 

But to return to Prince Louis on the occasion above related. 
I was forcibly struck by his military aspect, affable manners, 
intelligent face, pale, and slightly tinged with melancholy. Our 
conversation was necessarily formal on a first meeting, but the 
acquaintance began well for me, as I was invited to take a seat in 
his carriage on leaving, and he politely let me down at Fenton's 
Hotel. I met him several times during my brief stay; but in 
the crowded drawing-rooms of London in the height of the fash- 
ionable season, connected conversation is out of the question, and 
I could form, therefore, no conclusive opinion of either his charac- 
ter or intellect from personal observation. He was living, then, 
in very luxurious style ; occupying one of the finest mansions in 
London, on Carlton Terrace, overlooking that lovely park of St. 
James. His position was enviable indeed ; surrounded by a 
species of court, feted, and sought after by the highest rank of 
England ; regarded with interest by the public in general ; a 
great name, a romantic history, and imperial pretensions, he might 
fairly be considered one of the most fortunate of princes, and one 
of the most blest of mortals. And there are, indeed, few who 
could have risen above temptations so attractive ; but that Louis 
Napoleon was not a man to bestow his whole time and thoughts 
on the vapid amusements of society, though far from indifferent to 
them, is clear from the fact of his publishing, during his London 
residence, a very striking book entitled, " The Ideas of Napoleon." 
This book made a great sensation at the time, and was translated 
into every language of Europe. A distinguished statesman of 
England spoke of it in this wise : 

" Since the fall of Napoleon, France has been divided into two 

his brothers, having married the daughter of a rich banker, whose sister was 
afterwards espoused by Bernadotte, and is the still surviving Queen Dov/age 
of Sweden. 



29 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

hostile corps. On the one side are the men of order and authority,* 
but who have not the sentiments of the masses, and who, consequently, 
cannot obtain their confidence. On the other side are the men of 
popular principles, it is true, but whose ideas of liberty, badly con- 
ceived, are incompatible with authority, and they know nothing about 
government. But the author of the ' Ideas of Napoleon' has taken 
a new position in causing to flow from the very principles of liberty a 
grand idea of order and authority." 

Without stopping tb discuss the merits of Prince Louis's Com- 
mentaries on the Emperor's ideas, which are certainly remarkable, 
I will quote a passing criticism on its style. It conveys a better 
notion of the Prince's powers, as 1 have since discovered, than 
any other I have seen : 

" His mind is lucid, firm, direct, like all intellects which regard from 
a height, far and swift, and cast in a synthetical mould, which is a result 
of the study of the exact sciences. The Prince Napoleon renders his 
thoughts with clearness, precision, and brevity ; as many ideas as words. 
It is like a cannon ball which strikes before we know whence it comes, 
or what road it has followed. The mark, has it been struck ? the 
thought, is it expressed? is it clear? is it terse? is it true? The 
Prince desires no more, and he passes on to another. There is some- 
thing of the genius of Napoleon in this, and of the mould in which his 
conceptions were formed." 

It was only a few months after the period of which I am 
speaking that I learned the event which caused such universal 
astonishment ; his rash attempt at Boulogne, and its signal and 
mortifying failure. His fault, his folly, or his crime, as it is 

* These words, I wish to explain, have a deeper signification than that they 
bear on the surface. By authority is meant a strong government, that is, again, 
a government of the old style, an absolute, despotic government. It is with 
these antiquated ideas of government, but deep-seated and widespread, that 
the " liberty men " are contending, and which keeps Europe constantly in 
agitation. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 21 

variously viewed by different parties, he is now expiating, and 
the rigorous captivity of several years is a bitter penalty for the 
dreams of a too sanguine ambition. As far as I could analyse 
my own motives in undertaking this visit, besides the honor con- 
ferred on me, it was to discover, if possible, the secret origin of 
those enterprises of Strasburgh and Boulogne, which really seem 
so reckless, and, at first sight, so unjustifiable. What prompted 
them ? merely a thirst for action, or the vanity to wear a crown. 
Upon what means did he rely ? the enthusiasm of the masses, or 
well-combined plans of attack. And what was to be the result 
if he succeeded ? the idle possession of power, or the holy 
application of it to the benefit of his country, the suppression of 
abuses, and the advancement of liberty ! There are so many 
conflictino- accounts and rumors of the character, sentiments, and 
very generally of the incapacity of Prince Louis,* that I felt a 
very ardent anxiety to satisfy myself as far as possible on these 
not unimportant points ; for, notwithstanding that I have been a 

* Touching this point of character I am gratified to quote fi-om the London 
Examiner the following observations of Mr. Fonblanque, its editor, who is 
admitted to be not only one of the ablest writers of England, but one of the 
most upright and estimable of men. — " Many scornful allusions," he says, 
" have been made to Louis Napoleon, and we, for our own part, have not been 
sparing in our comments on his silly attempts at Strasburgh and Boulogne. He 
has had his follies, but it is most unjust to take the measures of his character 
from those folUes ; and all who know him will agree that, apart from his 
pretendership, which latterly has been in abeyance, he is a thoroughly sensible 
and well-informed man. He has had much prejudice to encounter, and not 
unnaturally, but he has overcome it, in whatever circles he has moved, by his 
good sense, his urbanity, and unaffected manners. Whether he is the man for 
the destinies of France may be discussed without a personal disparagement, 
which is really as little necessary for the solution of the question, as it is 
undue." 

When it is remembered how easily Louis Philippe was overthrown, the 
attempts at Strasburgh and Boulogne seem less " silly " — but of that by-and- 
by. 



22 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

good deal jested with lately on the matter, I still maintain, that the 
chances of Louis Napoleon to the French throne are a good many 
per cent, better than either of the Bourbon branches, and why ? 
because, in a word, he is a Bonaparte, and they are Bourbons. 
With the former are allied democratic associations and sympathies, 
for Napoleon, though of noble family, served a plebeian appren- 
ticeship to fame, and rose to power through his own efforts and 
the support of the people ; whereas the latter are identified with 
centuries of tyranny, crime, and suffering, and found their claims 
on hereditary possession and not in the right of election. The 
Imperial dynasty, in the eyes of the people, represents their own 
sovereignty and the cause of the revolution ; whilst the old regal 
line is connected with ideas of reaction, and a return to the hate- 
ful days of prerogative. Yes, I believe, nor have I scrupled to 
assert it, that whenever it may please Heaven to remove Louis 
Philippe and his system, and both seem indissolubly united, that 
the curtain will rise on a new play, full of action, exciting scenes, 
unlooked for catastrophes, " the whole to conclude with a grand 
tableau;" in which, if my imagination does not carry me away, 
will appear, amid the blaze oi feux jpyrotechniques and the firing 
of cannon, Louis Napoleon, as Emperor of all the French, and 
some hordes of Algerines. This seems very improbable at the 
moment when M. Guizot is so serenely sure of his power that he 
hardly takes the pains to hide his game, but plays it out right 
openly. But whilst his eye wanders complacently over the 
surface, mine is busy piercing the depths beneath ; and this soil 
of France is volcanic. Who can tell at what moment the crater 
will open and the lava pour forth ? Every man should have a 
reason for his opinion ; and why I think Prince Louis has a hold, 
and a strong one, on the popular mind, is upon these grounds. 
The masses everywhere reason clearly and to the point ; never 
bothering their brains with fine-spun theories, but deciding on 
facts only. The French people, mind, I say the people, have 
logically reasoned thus: "We were tricked in 1830 — our 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. ' 23 

wretchedness is unabated — we are beyond helping ourselves ; 
blessed be the friendly hand that struck at the incubus that keeps 
us down, — that hand is a Bonaparte's, — that incubus is a Bour- 
bon ; — when we are up again we shall act accordingly." There 
is no sophistry here, for these are events of history ; and, in my 
view, Prince Louis, though ridiculed for his failures, is only 
endeared the more to the popular heart. Oh, but his motives ! 
— say the other side. Again I repeat, the people rarely stop to 
weigh motives. With their rough sagacity they have discerned 
that there is nothing so uncertain and mixed in this world as 
men's motives. Were patriotism, philanthropy, and the whole 
catalosfue of virtues thrown into the crucible, the inorredients for 
the most part would thus be resolved : 5| parts for others, 6^ for 
self. This, I beg to remark, is what the people think. For myself, 
I have much loftier and more romantic notions of the motives of 
patriots and philanthropists. I have seen so many of them in all 
places. Well, the French people, then, care not a whit for the 
motives assigned to Prince Louis, nor even for those he really 
entertained, be they for their good entirely, or partly for his own. 
All they know and will remember — and there is no gratitude so 
long-lived as the people's — is, that he came down twice tilting at 
Louis Philippe ; and whether, in his Quixotic endeavors, he was 
followed by one Sancho Panza, or sixty ; or whether he had a 
live eagle, or a dead one, hanging at his saddle -bow,* is to them, 
severally and jointly, a matter of very profound indifference. 

* I inquired when in England (last year), into this often quoted stoiy of the 
"live Eagle," and, to my surprise, really found there was something in it. 
Count D'Orsay thus related it from one of the actors therein. The steamer 
carrying the expedition stopped to take up its complement at Gravesend, and, 
as might very well happen in this crowded seaport, a sailor was standing on 
the quay with an eagle to sell ; a speculation of his own. " Voild une belle 
idee !" exclaimed one of the sprightly cavaUers, whose invention was likely 
sharpened by a bottle of Sillery Mousseux, " here's a good idea. I'll buy 
this eagle and fly it over Boulogne. The 'green-grocers' who will Ukely 
assail us, will imagine it has been hatched by the Emperor's monument, and 



24 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

At all events, " that is my opinion," as the man says in the 
play, "though I maybe mistaken." How many hours I spent 
in these profound cogitations, I am not aware, but they were 
suddenly put to flight by the abrupt announcement of Baptiste, 
as if he were in a hurry to say it, that we had got to Compeigne ; 
" Very glad of it," I answered, " for I am hungry. Order din- 
ner instantly ; meanwhile I'll stroll through the town." 

Declining the services of a valet de place, for I hate to be 
bear-led about ; and on the other hand, delight especially in 
wandering through a strange town, surprising myself, and won- 
dering what in the world — that place is ; without having every- 
thing rattled out by a loquacious cicerone in advance. From long 
habit I rarely lose myself, and when I do, am greatly amused in 
trying to find myself — which sometimes happensto the politicians, 
but with less success than generally attends my efforts. 

But once only in Moscow, on a dark night coming from the 
theatre, I got into a downright " fix," and liked to have been run 
through by a dozen outlandish Cossacks, standing as sentinels at 
the corners, for not replying to their horrid gibberish, — because I 
couldn't. Compeigne is rather a fine town, and celebrated for its 
palace, where Napoleon, in 1810, first met Maria Louisa, but I 
had no time to go and see it. The streets, like all French streets, 
are some of them long, some of them narrow, and most of them 
dirty. Here and there is a fine opening called a 2)lace. The 
houses are of stone, very old-looking, and more resembling 
fortresses built to resist those feudal robbers, who, in the Middle 
Ages, used to rush in and fleece the burghers, than the convenient 
and airy dwellings which better suit our pacific times. The 
shops, like all French shops, are neat and attractive ; their goods 

drop their muskets in awe and wonder." The experiment, however, was never 
tried, for the poor eagle was taken prisoner aboard the steamer, where he was 
forgotten, and Prince Louis never heard of the joke until he saw it afterwards 
in the papers. However, as leaders get all the glory, they must expect to bear 
their share of the follies of their followers. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 25 

tastefully bestrewed with a nice eye to effect. I dropped into 
several, more to have a chat than to make purchases ; that's the 
way — I recommend it to young travellers — to pick up informa- 
tion. And in France the shops are so inviting ; perhaps because 
they are reigned over by the ladies. How odd it looks to an 
American to see a woman keeping the books, watching the 
clerks, and exercising supreme authority ; whilst the poor wretch 
of a husband, if he is there at all, is somewhere out of the way, 
meekly employed in the humblest details of his business, trusting 
fanatically to the wit and blandishments of his helpmate for quick 
sales and good profits. And who can stop to haggle with them, 
so charmingly dressed ; so elegantly coiff^es ; or so gaily decked in 
their neat caps and cherry-colored ribbons. And the}^ are not 
afraid of the police, not they ; and they know as much of 
politics, and more, than the maire of the commune. But for the 
women a traveller could know little of the popularity of the 
ministers out of Paris ; and I should infer from what I picked up 
in Com-peigne, that when the present dynasty " goes out of 
office," nobody will put on mourning. 

Gobbling down my dinner, for I had lost time talking politics, I 
was done in ten minutes, and as Baptiste closed the carriage- 
door on me, I ordered him to keep the postillions hard at it with- 
out counting the pourdoire, for, I added, je suis " bound to go 
through." "Plait-il?^' queried Baptiste, quite mystified. 
" NHmporte — en avant," I said, waving my hand. I love to use 
an American phrase now and then* in a foreign country — it 
comes so pat ; is so expressive, and puts one in mind of home. 
Baptiste is sorely discomfited by this wantonness of mine, and no 
doubt regrets his barbarous ignorance of the English language, 
little dreaming that in America we have setup phrases of our own 
that would perplex a Cockney as deeply as a Greek Idyll. 

To while away time, I picked up a French book I brought 
along with me, entitled " The Chateau of Ham," published in 
1842. The author had been one, he says, of the very few who 



/ 



26 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

by skilful contrivance had won over the Cerberus of the " Home 
office," and got permission to visit the Prince Napoleon, of whom 
he gives a highly wrought sketch. This work is well written. 
What wonderful facility the French have for writing. It seems 
to come by nature, so limpid flow their sentences ; so sparkling 
is their fancy ; so copious their remark. In expression no 
writers excel them, so pointed, pithy, and pretty. In logical ar- 
rangement they are not surpassed by Aristotle or Bacon ; but in 
knowledge, candor forces me to declare, they are often quite in- 
ferior. The French write chiefly to amuse, rarely to instruct. 
Even Montesquieu oftener thought of glitter than truth, and he 
would not hesitate to confuse a student's ideas of government, 
rather than sacrifice the dramatic structure of a sentence. Yes, 
French writers have too much esprit, as they call intellect ; they 
are always running after theories, soaring on wings of specula- 
tion, or seating themselves complacently on a high mountain of 
hypothesis, nearly out of sight. To plod along on the plain, hard, 
dry road of fact and common sense, they won't do it. The read- 
ers must go ballooning with them, whether or not ; so spurning 
the earth, you find them like Mahomet's coffin, always suspended 
in the air, where dangling, let us leave them. I could explain 
this phenomenon, which is connected with the history of their 
civilization, but that would be far too prosy just now. 

My author of the Chateau of Ham mingles more matter-of-fact 
than usual with his rhetoric, and his book is very artistically 
constructed, like all Frencfe books. In a glowing preface he 
tells us all about himself, as an author should ; and it appears 
that his bosom is stuffed full of disgust of what he calls the 
organized disorder in France, and I don't wonder. He has tried 
his hand at all parties, and hear what he says of them. 

" Oh, the sterile instability of some ; the sepulchral immobility 
of others ; the envious mediocrity of these ; the exclusive 
ambition of those; the collective helplessness of all." This is 
rather fine, French, and vague, but after writing in the same 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 27 

strain for some lines longer, he states, " that all these things, all 
these parties, and all these men, have made a Free-thinker of 
him who writes these pages." And thus cured of all illusion, 
above all anger, and free from pledges, he quitted Paris, which is 
next to quitting the world, and came down to Ham to see what 
prospects France had of future happiness, should the luckless 
prisoner there ever be transferred from a dungeon to a throne. 

The greater part of the book itself is taken up with the history 
of Ham and its celebrated fortress. The origin of the town he 
says, is lost in the shades of tradition, but of that by-and-by. 
He relates a number of curious and thrilling stories of the old 
citadel, which was re-constructed in the 15th century, and passing 
by " sack and storm," from the possession of one feudal lord to 
another, has experienced all the rough vicissitudes which 
chequer the history of the middle ages. What varying scenes 
of horror must have been witnessed there — what furious onslaught 
in the moats around — what scaling of walls — what death-strug- 
gling on the battlements — what carnage mingling with shouts 
and the trumpet's blast ; and then the calm which followed 
victorious possession — the short-lived peace consumed in feasts 
and intrigues — the tournament by day — the wassail by night, till 
the silence of midnight reposed on these grim ramparts, broken 
only by the slow tramp of the sentinel, the warder's challeno-e, 
or the groan of some sinking wretch in the dungeons beneath ! 
It makes one shiver to read of the cruelties of which that grey 
old castle of Ham has been the bloody theatre. 

There are horrors enough in my author's book to eke out 
a dozen melo-dramas and six first-rate novels, to suit the love- 
and-murder taste of the day. It was here, among other strange 
incidents related by the " Free-thinker," that the last heir of 
Charlemagne was imprisoned and died ; and now the heir of the 
modern Charlemagne is sent here to linger in the hope of his 
dying. 

At last, having finished with the town and the castle, my 



28 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

chronicler arrives at his main topic, Prince Louis, of whom he 
discourses in this fashion : ' It was the rare good fortune of the 
writer to find himself face to face with the nephew of Napoleon 
for several hours, which that Prince nobly occupied with one of 
those frank and intelligent conversations which the'mind and the 
heart never forget. The author entered the Chateau of Ham 
indifferent, reserved, and shall he say it, full of distrust ; but 
resigned, if necessary, to return with the same indifference, and 
a disappointment the more like a logician, who, accustomed to 
failures, still goes on searching the solution of his problem, when 
he has only as yet the premises to support him. But when he 
heard the Prince raise and assimilate himself by the elevation, 
liberality, and patriotism of his ideas, to the level of his origin ; 
when he saw that there — separated by the walls of a prison of 
state from all that world without, of ambition, of cupidities, and 
self-aspirations, which, dominating and unrestrained, weakens, 
wastes, and devours this fine country of France ; that there he 
had before him a noble young man who loved better to pine 
away slowly each day of his captive life under his native sky, 
than joyfully to pass his days, feted and gay, on a foreign soil, 
amid all the delights that youth, fortune, and a great name could 
bestow. When he felt — " But it is not worth while to venture 
quoting some pages more of the author's sensations, which go on 
crescendo, swelling and dilating till they reach a climax of 
alarming intensity, when he seeks relief in the following 
declaration : " Oh, then, the author of this book came out of the 
Chateau of Ham, his heart as full as his mind ; staggering 
under the weight of his emotions and thoughts, like a man who 
had just beheld a great soul, aux prises, struggling with a lofty 
reason." What he exactly means by this I cannot precisely 
make out ; perhaps my reader can. After a deal more caracoling 
of the same sort, he brings up at last on a grandiloquent piece 
of writing, where the chief incidents of Prince Louis's life are 
set forth with a pomp not likely to [please the taste of a good 



NAPOLEOiN" LOUIS BOxNAPAKTE. 29 

critic in biography. " Grandson of an Empress ! son of a king ! 
nephew of the Emperor !" (and he might have added, cousin- 
german of the Imperial families of Austria, Russia, and Brazil, 
and of the royal ones of Sweden, Wirtemburg, &c. !) " Born 
amid the sound of the cannon of Wagram, and at the very 
height of the marvels of the Imperial epoch, and under the 
regards of the eagle whose wings touched the Pyrenees and the 
Danube ! 

"Inscribed on the great book of state deposited in 'the Senate 
house deciding the order of succession to the throne ! 

" Banished in perpetuity, he and his, from the country which 
gave them rank in exchange of glory ! 

" Receiving in exile an education at once manly and useful, as 
if, like a child of the people, he expected his fortune only from 
his personal labors ! Devoted to the study of the arts and 
sciences, as if he were condemned to require of them the 
eternal oblivion of his fallen grandeur and the charms of a life 
opulent but tranquil ! Formed, hcw^ver, early to the life of a 
camp, whence the chief of his race came forth an Emperor, as 
though it was in the camp only he could expect to find the new 
consecration of his family and name ! 

"Soldier of the popular cause in Italy, where one of his uncles 
gave away thrones and principalities ; where another wore a 
crown ; where still another reigned as Vice-Roy ! 

" Disdaining to reign over a country which was not that of his 
birth ;* yet wandering over it proscribed at the moment when, 
in 1830, it rose to deliver itself; bnt who was not included in 
the new chart of freedom, though he begged, as a favor supreme, 
an asylum for which he would sacrifice his blood and his gold ! 

" Throwing himself twice resolutely into bold enterprisfis,when, 
after the danger was past, the terrors reassured of some — the 
faded hopes of others, — sought vengeance in slander ; and that 

* This refers to the refusal by Prince Louis of the hand of Donna Maria, 
Queen of Portugal. 



3D NAPOLEON LOTUS BONAPARTE. 

when it is known as regards the first (Strasburgh) it failed only 
through that chance which disconcerts the calculations of the 
most provident genius, and which is called Vinattendu. 

" Representative of the vote of four millions, and judged as if 
that vote had never been given ! 

" Condemned to a perpetual prison, as if the shameful treaties 
of 1815 could be maintained in perpetuity ! 

" Enfin, cradled in his infancy between two thrones ; his youth 
given up to the lessons and trials of exile ; prisoner at thirty-four 
years in his own country, which, alas, he will lose, the day he 
ceases to be so ! the Prince Napoleon Louis reunites in himself, at 
this hour, all the grandeurs and reverses it has pleased the good 
and bad fortune of France to accumulate, in less than half a 
century, on that grand Imperial dynasty which Napoleon found- 
ed ; which the sovereignty of the people enthroned ; that the 
Holy Alliance proscribed ; and of which the rock of St. Helena 
devoured the trunk, the court of Vienna the branch, and of which 
the prison of Ham promHes to consume what is left !" Now a 
less ambitious penman would have given in plainer language 
much clearer information, by simply stating the naked facts of 
the case, which with the utmost brevity I will subjoin. Prince 
Louis was born in 1808 (a whole year before " the sound of the 
cannon of Wagram"), and is the second son of Louis Bonaparte, 
King of Holland, and of Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of 
the Empress Josephine. In 1815, when the Imperial family was 
expatriated, Hortense fled with her two sons to Switzerland. 
Here Prince Louis received a military education from General 
Dufour, and remained in quiet till 1830, when, with the elder 
brother, he joined the democratic cause in Italy. After taking 
part in several engagements his brother suddenly fell ill and 
died, and he was prostrated by the same mysterious sickness.* 

* It is believed to this day in Italy that his brother and himself were 
poisoned by hired assassins, and there are many details to justify the belief. 
Their joint removal would have been a great relief to many of those who, 
like Macbeth, " eat their bread in fear." 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 31 

Oa his recovery he returned to Paris, and applying to enter the 
French army, was refused, and summoned to quit the kingdom. 
He retired again to Switzerland ; published several books, mili- 
tary and political ; made the attempt at Strasburgh which sent 
him to America, and again the attempt at Boulogne, which con- 
signed him to Ham — the very place which I am now approaching 
with every change of horses. 

Baptiste, meanwhile, is doing wonders, and displays all the 
dexterity of an old courier. It is not by paying a franc or two 
above their pay merely that you inspire the whip arm of the 
French postilion, much less do you get speed out of him by 
remonstrance or complaint. But maintaining a friendly interest 
in the newness of his toggery, or " like a scurvy politician," as 
Lear says, '' seeming not to see" the holes in their patched 
culottes; praising their nags; perhaps with great delicacy ven. 
turing a doubt of their ability to go ; asking after his sweetheart, 
and expressing your entire confidence in no rival keeping pace 
with him either on the road or in the favor of his bien-aini^e. 
These are the ways and means to reach the heart of a French 
postillion ; and it was amusing to see with what adroitness 
Baptiste threw his lasso, and how cunningly he managed them, 
giving them words for sous, which, disinterested souls, they like 
as well. No such currency would pass "down-east." 

Darkness came on as we sped along the high-road, and I 
closed the book of the " Free-Thinker," nothing loath. I did not 
like his inflated style, his bombastic phrases, his never-ending 
terraces of climax which carried you up, up, till you lost your 
wind, and all recollection of the place you started from. It is 
all very well to make the most of your hero ; to array his virtues 
in admiring order ; to throw a graceful veil over his faults — of 
course, if he has any ; this is conciliating and allowed. But to 
Boswell your Johnson to death ; to insist on his uniting every ex- 
cellence and accomplishment; that he is the just one made 
perfect ; that he is a great man in esse, and a great angel in 



32 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

posse, — why this is to overshoot the mark, and knock your idol 
down. 

Prince Louis must have a deal of vitality of some sort to sur- 
vive all the ridiculous things written about him (this amongst the 
rest), as well as some unaccountable things he has done. In this 
way I mused a long while with my cloak gathered about me — for 
it was a crisp evening in autumn — and my cap pulled down over 
my brows, to the charming accompaniment of the rapid pattering 
of the horses' hoofs on the hard road, and the steady roil of the 
carriage-v/heels. I was in a queer state of letweenity, as Willis 
would say, with my head in the land of Nod, and my feet rather 
cold under the opposite seat, when the door opened v/ith a jerk, 
and '• Ari'ive^ Monsieur^'' was almost shouted in my ear by the 
contented Baptiste. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONArARTE. 33 

* - 



III. 



I WAS cordially welcomed to Ham by a tall, fine-looking man, 
with a bright face and pleasant smile, the landlord of the only 
hostelry in this very old, but very small town. He escorted me 
up one pair of stairs to a neat salon with a bedroom attached, 
everything wearing a neat and tidy appearance, that gave me a 
good opinion of the dame du menage. No carpets on the floor of 
tile, which are not to be looked for out of Paris, and there they 
are used more for ornament than comfort. A piece no larger than 
probably answered Aladdin for journeying through the air is 
usually paraded before your bed, and sometimes a rug is 
decoratively disposed before the fire-place, which looks dreadfully 
lonesome without a carpet for company. It is a long while be- 
fore an American recovers from his sense of discomfort in living 
in a room with a bare floor ; but he does at last, and that is the 
advantage of travelling, which shakes off* those local ideas which 
identify enjoyment with numberless superfluities that really 
have no other value than custom gives them. Having made 
survey of my apartment amid the profuse recommendations of 
my host, I essayed to cut off" his loquacious tattle, by saying it 
would do. But this only changed the subject, for after asking 
and answering his own questions about my journey down, he 
added, " Ah, Monsieur, how I envy you the privilege of seeing 
the Prince Louis !" I looked up in surprise. " Why, is it so 
common a thing for travellers," I inquired, " to visit the citadel 

that you infer I came here for that purpose ?" 

2* 



34 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

" Oh, mon dieu, no ; but everybody in Ham knew this morning 
that Monsieur was comino; to see the Prince." 

This was a poser, for I only knew it myself the evening be- 
fore ; and how the intelligence could have been anticipated some 
twelve hours after all my hurry along the road — that was just 
what, after cudgelling my brains for some minutes, I could in no 
wise make out. 

" Pray, allow me to ask how ' everybody' got this information," 
I said, considerably perplexed. 

" Certainemeni,'' replied Boniface, delighted to oblige me, " the 
police was telegraphed last night, and instructions sent down with 
full particulars of Monsieur'' s intended visit." 

" Indeed," I responded, by no means overjoyed at this pertina- 
city of the police-office. " It is really very good-natured in the 
minister to take so much pains about me. He evidently attaches 
more importance to my business here than I do myself." I 
spoke in a tone keenly ironical, and my host was not slow to 
perceive my displeasure. He seemed astonished thereat, and 
opined, "that Monsieur was not Francais." 

"No, thank Heaven !" I exclaimed, giving vent to my feelings. 
" That is to say, I thank my stars that I live in a country where 
respectable people are not treated like rogues, and where 
telegraphs are put to a better use than reporting the transits of 
quiet travellers." From the dubious expression of the landlord's 
face it was pretty clear that he had his misgivings whether there 
really was such a country as that in the world (it is nowhere in 
Europe, and but few there imagine there is a world beyond it) ; 
and he was inclined to think I was trying to be facetious. I put 
an end to his mental conjectures, however, by ordering supper. 
" The best you have, and plenty of it ;" for my vexation and long 
abstinence had whetted my appetite. It is supremely ridiculous, 
certainly, thought I, this dodging a man about from Paris to 
Ham ; I wonder my baggage is not inspected to see if it contain 
a rope-ladder, or any other suspicious material. However, 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 35 

there's no use in losing one's temper at absurdities that after all 
are amusing ; so humming a tune, I looked out of the window to 
make out if I could from 'prima facie evidence, what sort of a 
place Ham was. All I could descry through the darkness was a 
great square before the hotel whose confines were lost in the ob- 
scurity of the night. My supper was brought in, and I turned 
round with a relish. I am no gourmand, but confess to a vigor- 
ous appetite and a fastidious palate ; and if there is anything in 
the whole list of edibles that would beget a craving under the 
ribs of death, it is, remember it, reader, a French capon, delicate- 
ly overlaid with a thin morceau de jamhon, and daintily em- 
broidered with persil. I never think of it but a feeling is roused 
within of deep desire, somewhat analogous in force, only different 
in kind, to that which stirred Virginius when longing to get hold 
of Appius, whom his vengeance wished to banquet on. " Set him 
before me, oh ! ye Gods !" My savory repast was farther sea- 
soned with the lively chat of the garcon. What a cheerful, 
gossiping set these French garcons are, with their long white 
aprons and napkins tucked under the arm. How different from 
that demure and servile race of English waiters, whose affected 
obsequiousness you can't help suspecting is making faces at you 
on the reverse side. Tout passe, as the proverb has it, and 
though in no hurry my supper was soon finished, and I rose 
from the table like a '' giant refreshed." But I was in no humor 
for going to bed, and as wine delights me not, nor cigars eithei', 
I was a little put to it for amusement. A thought struck me ; 
I'll have a talk. I felt expansive and communicative ; but 
Where's the victim ? Baptiste ; just the fellow ; — he's paid for 
bearing my humors. Besides, no small curiosity possessed me to 
know more of this droll creature. For though in my European 
experience I had met with many of his tribe, he struck me in 
many respects as a later edition, as it were, of all the rest. 

The moral physiologists of England, Dickens, Smith, Thacke- 
ray, have in their ingenious and learned investigations of the 



36 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

English animal, through all its grades of social development, 
elaborately described under the genus woman, a particular species 
nomenclated " Maid of all work." Now, the class to which 
Baptiste belongs is the French male to the English female here 
alluded to, and may with sufficient clearness be described the 
" Man of all work." No sooner does a traveller rise from his 
breakfast the first day of his arrival in Paris, than a well-dressed 
man with that unmistakable air which may be expressed in the 
phrase of "having seen a thing or two," presents himself. Does 
Monsieur want to travel ? why, he has been everywhere, knows 
every road and every trick on it. Does Pvlonsieur only want a guide 
about Paris ? he will promise to skim the cream of all the " sights" 
in six days, without fatiguing you. But, if you are an habitue 
of Paris, then he merely hands you a few letters from his late 
masters, a Russian Boyard, or an Italian Prince, to prove that he 
is accustomed to good society, and stands ready to have his re- 
sources put to the test. 

Baptiste was all this, and something more. He had the traits of 
his class in his physiognomy ; the lines about the mouth indicated 
an aptitude without limits, and in the dry leer of his eye might 
be traced a boundless aversion to anything like regular, or serious 
labor of any sort. There was something fidgety in his manner ; 
a restless anxiety to know everybody's business, and an eternal 
activity of disposition that satisfied me there was never a fete, 
fight, or frolic in Paris, where he was not recognised as a leader, 
and followed with enthusiasm. There was only one subject he 
had never touched upon, and I suspected it lay nearest his heart. 
Just at this moment he knocked, and came to know if I had any 
further orders for the night. 

" Sit down there for a few minutes, Baptiste," I said, pointing 
to a chair near the wiiidow. 

" Volontiers, Monsieur ^''^ and he seated himself at once, as 
though accustomed to such marks of condescension. 

" It has just occurred to me, Baptiste," I observed, " that I have 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 37 

never heard a political sentiment escape you. Now, I think that 
the ' destinies of France' have a good deal more to do with the 
opinions of your set, than those of your masters, for while not one 
in ten of these I find have a conviction, you fellows go out in the 
streets and fight for yours. Let me have your opinion of M. 
Guizot." 

" Pardpn, Monsieur,''^ said Baptiste, after a moment's silence, 
which he employed staring at me with a very comical expression 
of wonder. 

" Don't pardon me, Baptiste," I continued, " but speak out — 
your caution would be more reasonable if you were as tenderly 
looked after by the police as I am." 

"That is just what I dread," he answered with a start. "I 
have suffered so much already ; twice in prison, and — " 

" What's that you say ?" I demanded, changing color ; " in 
prison, and for what crime ?" 

"No great crime. Monsieur, in my view," he replied in a tone 
of palliation. "You see, I fought through the ' three days' of 
1830, and—" 

"Just what I suspected," I remarked. 

" Yes, Monsieur," continued Baptiste, his eyes brightening, 
" and it was rare sport. I was the first man in the Tuileries, 
where I slept all night on the throne of the Bourbons. That was 
satisfaction enough, and I v/as paid for my wounds." 

" Well, was that all you barricaded for ?" 

" Oh mon DieUy non, Monsieur, I wanted to get rid of Charles 
X. and his priests, and then — " 

" Get Louis Philippe and his politicians in their places, eh," I 
said, smiling. 

" Sacrebleue,'^ exclaimed Baptiste, carried away by his feelings ; 
" it is enough to make a poor man swear to see how we are 
treated. When we suffer in peace, these journalists inflame our 
hearts, and promise us relief if we only come out and be killed 
for them. And their, Nom de Dzez/.," he broke out again, " one 



33 NiiPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

set takes the other set's places, and they turn round and break 
our heads for reminding them of their promises." 

" That will teach you better next time, Baptiste," was my brief 
commentary ; " but how did you get in prison ?" 

" Why, you see, Monsieur," he answered, grinding his teeth, 
" when I and the rest of us discovered how the game was going ; 
that not a single law was altered for the better — that not a single 
tax -was lowered — that our wine, tobacco, and salt, were to be no 
cheaper, and that our money was spent more extravagantly on a 
government of clerks (commis) than it was even by the priests — 
Why, then, Monsieur, we thought we'd try it again. But par 
Dieu, how they cut us up. I was seized and treated like a dog, 
and when I got out, I took the first chance that ofTered and was 
served in the same way again, and if it had not been for my old mas- 
ter General , I should have been in the galleys by this time." 

" Very well," I said, " I hope you are wiser for your experi- 
ence, and have learnt that there is no use contending with the 
politicians. If they tell you the people are only born to be 
taxed and cheated, you should do your best to believe it, for you 
see they can't be convinced to the contrary, with all your 
fighting." 

" Why, is that the way the people do in your country ?" 
inquired Baptiste, as if he only wanted that to be satisfied of the 
soundness of my advice. 

" Oh, in my country, Baptiste, the people are a very sharp 
set of fellows, and they understand their interests too clearly to 
be hoodwinked by politicians ; though, even there, some are 
fools enough to try it, but their fate serves as a warning to the 
rest." 

" What a happy country that must be of yours. Monsieur. 
We feel by our sufferings that all is wrong here, but every 
newspaper and orator has a different remedy. We don't know 
which to believe, though we are dreadfully put to it. Oh, 
Monsieur, you little dream amid the plenty of Paris what starving 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 39 

there is in the country, and were I to relate the condition of my 
own family it would move your pity, for I see, mon maitre, you 
take an interest in us poor devils !" 

" Well, I'll not deny that, Baptiste ; and if I were not an 
American I should like to be a Frenchman, for there is plenty of 
work in France to keep a man busy who is fond of an active 
life. But it is desperate work for you people, without a leader, 
and the police blocking up every road around you." 

" But we don't mean to give it up whilst there's life in us," 
said Baptiste, in a tone not to be mistaken ; " and," he added, 
shaking his finger at some unseen object out of the window, 
"those gates will be opened some day, and I mean to be present 
at the ceremony." 

" What gates ?" I asked, rather mystified. 

" Of the citadel of Ham !" he said, with strong emphasis. 

" What !" retorted I, astonished, " are you a Bonapartiste ?" 

" To the death !" was the grim reply. 

" Well, if I had entertained the smallest suspicion of that," 
answered I, not a little annoyed, " I should not have brought you 
here, you may depend T)n it." 

" That is just what I feared, Monsieur, so I said nothing about 
it?" , 

" You are a shrewd fellow, Baptiste ; but what is this ? You 
talked just now like a republican, and you turn out a Bona- 
partiste. One would have thought you had got a surfeit of kings 
and emperors by this time." 

" We have had enough of Bourbons, Monsieur, but we'd like 
to try another Bonaparte, if only out of reverence for the 
Emperor, whose worship is our only religion in France." 

" Come, Baptiste, don't get profane." 

" Non, Monsieur. We are not fools enough to believe there 
is another like him, for the mould is broken he was cast in ; but 
I don't know how it is, the people will fancy that a Bonaparte 
must be true to them." 



40 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

^ " And so if you had your choice to-morrow, you would take 
the empire instead of the republic, eh?"- 

" Well, to be frank with you, Monsieur, I don't see any 
difference. Napoleon was called a consul during the repub- 
lic, and an emperor afterwards, but that was the only change, 
as they say in our club.* And now we have got a citizen- 
king, but what alteration has that brought, as 1 was just say- 
ing ?" 

" That's very good logic, Baptiste, and I must do you men of 
the people the justice to say, that I never converse with you 
without being struck with your good common sense. If your 
government and politicians had the most remote idea of it, I 
think they would hardly venture to bamboozle you so impu- 
dently." 

" Ah, that they will find out one day to their cost," answered 
Baptiste, with a significant nod of his head. 

" Well, you may go to-bed now, and wake me up at seven in 
the morning." 

It may be supposed that it was far from a pleasant discovery 
to find that I had a hot-headed Bonapartiste in my train. This 
was quite enough to subject me to the suspicions of the police, 
and let them alone for knowing it. And it Mms pretty clear 
besides, that Baptiste was hourly, I could see it, boiling up to an 
explosive point of enthusiasm, and there's no trusting these fiery 
and impulsive French. There is not a nobler people in the 
world, but they go off constantly half-cocked. If Baptiste should 
break out even in his sleep with a cry of " Vive VEmpereurf'^ 
ten to one we should both be arrested and packed off to Paris 
under an escort of gensdarmes. I must keep a sharp eye on 
him, was my latent reflection on getting into bed. 

Bless me, what a quiet place this Ham is, struck me next. I 

* It will be hereafter seen that Baptiste was an active member of a secret 
society which are as thoroughly ramified over Paris as the gas-pipes, and like 
them are mostly concealed under ground. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 41 

missed the murmur and hum of the capital. It would give me 
the Hues to stay here a week ; and then, I thought of the dreary- 
five years poor Prince Louis had lingered through in that gloomy 
old fortress hard by. Thus thinking and sympathizing I fell 
asleep. 



42 NArOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 



IV. 



I WAS up betimes next morning, and took a saunter through 
the town, that invited no particular remark, save that a place 
which had been so many hundred years growing should have 
made so little progress. A village in Ohio would run round it 
before they had finished building one of their little two-story 
stone houses, I was going to say ; but then it should be borne in 
mind that what with governments, ecclesiastical, feudal, 
monarchical, and what not, poor Ham has been burnt up and 
pulled down more times than I have space to tell. There is but 
one street in the place, and that so long and crooked that in 
following it without thought I got completely wound up, and 
began to despair of unravelling the mystery, when a market-cart 
hove^i^n sight, and following in its wake I got safe home again. 
Immediately after breakfast I sent Baptiste off with my card to 
the commandant of the citadel, with my compliments, to know at 
what hour I should present myself for admission. Meanwhile 
the landlord came in with the startling intelligence that there 
were a couple of gensdarmes at the door waiting to escort me 
to the Police Office. 

" Why, what's in the wind now ?" I asked, beginning to get a 
little nervous. 

" Rien, Monsieur, it is only a formality. They wish to see 
you in person to verify the description they have received." 

" Well, confound their impudence, why can't they come here, 
then, if that's all they want ?" 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 43 

The landlord was a good deal amused at my want of reverence 
for the police, and intimated that in France the greatest deference 
was p^d to their minutest wishes, whatever might be the private 
inclinations of the parties complying. T expressed my resolute 
determination not to go near them, at which the landlord smiled 
in a way to convince me that [ would change my mind. 

To turn the subject I spoke of Prince Louis, and found the 
topic highly congenial to mine host. He was copious and eloquent 
in his praises, and said how impossible it was to express the 
interest the whole town took in the welfare of the unfortunate 
prisoner. He related numberless acts of his kindness of heart, 
and said that he was in the habit of expending the greater part 
of his revenue on the poor of the place, who had never, since his 
captivity, stood a moment in need of clothing or food during the 
rigors of a Norman winter. 

Here Baptiste shot into the room quite out of breath, and very 
pale : '' Je Vai vu ! I have see him," was his only exclamation. 

" Well, what did he say ?" I asked. 

" Oh, I didn't speak to him,"' he replied, with his eyes flashing, 
" but I saw him on the ramparts walking with his hands behind 
him, just like the Emperor." 

" What, the commandant ?" 

" No, the Prince, Monsieur." 

" Why, have you lost your senses ?" I demanded, " I sent you 
to inquire when I could be admitted to the citadel." 

" Pardon, mon maitre, I quite forgot to mention it ; your card 
and message were carried in, for I was not allowed to cross the 
drawbridge. The commandant returns his compliments, and says 
he will be happy to see you at one o'clock." 

No expostulations I found would answer, but go to the police 
office I must. I succeeded, however, in compromising the matter 
by sending off those hang-dog gensdarmes, and going there 
under the convoy of my landlord. After a due inspection of my 



44 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

nose and eyebrows, &c., my letter from the minister was looked 
at, as I had no passport, and then I was asked when I should leave 
Ham on my return to Paris. 

" In three or four days, I suppose, but that depends upon circum- 
stances." It was just as I pleased, they replied, but I must do 
them the favor of another call before going, to .state my intention, 
and get a return passport. Thence I made my way for the cita- 
del, and had nearly got there before I espied Baptiste close in my 
rear. 

"What are you about, Baptiste?" I said rather roughly; 
" you must go back." 

The poor fellow seemed horrified at his sentence, and his coun- 
tenance filled with emotion. He showed strong symptoms of 
falling on his knees, and began to implore me to let him follow. 

" Oh !" he entreated, " only let me see the Prince, but for a 
minute only." 

" How absurdly you talk, Baptiste ! what privilege have I in 
the matter ? And suppose you are allowed to pass the guard, how 
do I know that it will be agreeable to the Prince in taking such 
a liberty ?" 

All my remonstrances were drowned in a flooding tide of 
prayers and supplications, so I gave up the point and told him 
he might take his chance. I had still a few minutes to spare, 
which I spent walking about, surveying the fortress, that covers 
several acres of ground, and is of vast extent. It is quadrangu- 
lar in shape, and protected at either corner by a round tower of 
great height and solidity. Its walls too were lofty, and of unusual 
massiveness, with buttresses of great width and strength ; a double 
ditch connected by drawbridges at the main entrance completely 
encircled it, and so cut off all possibility of its capture by sur- 
prise. It is a magnificent relic of the feudal age, and I was still 
curiously gazing at it with reflections on its eventful history, 
when the clock of the citadel struck one, and I strode ofi* hurriedly 
towards the main portal. The drawbridge was down, and the port- 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 45 

icullis up, as if a visitor were expected, and passing onwards, I en- 
countered successively several corps de garde, and numerous 
sentries, who let me go by unchallenged, having, doubtless, re- 
ceived orders to that effect. Baptiste stuck to me like my shadow, 
though he got a sharp look from the Concierge, as emerging 
from a gloomy arch-way we passed his lodge, and struck across 
a wide court, filled with soldiers off duty, on my way to the 
quarters of the commandant. An ofiicer accompanying me soon 
stopped at a small but neat two story building, of which there 
were several I observed scattered about the interior of the 
fortress. Knocking at a low door we were ushered into a tidy 
room on the lower floor, when a minute afterwards the command- 
ant, M. Demarle, a fine-looking, soldierly man of some fifty years 
of age, entered. He received me with great courtesy, and stating 
my business, I presented him my letter of authority from the 
minister, M. Duchaiel. 

He glanced over it, and bowing, said it was all correct. 

"Pray allovy me to inquire," 1 said, " if any further ceremony 
is requisite in my future visits to the fortress, as my letter omits 
to give any such particulars." 

"I am sorry to inform you," replied M. Demarle, "that 1 
have orders to admit you but once, and that your interview with 
the Prince must be limited to four hours. I shall be under 
the necessity, then, of summoning you to leave the citadel at five 
o'clock." 

" What ! is it possible ?" I exclaimed, not more astonished than 
annoyed ; " only one visit, and that of four hours !" 

" Such are my instructions," answered the commandant, with 
military brevity. " But who is this person with you ?" casting 
his eyes on Baptiste, who quivered under his stern gaze. 

" It is a favorite servant who begs your permission to " 

" Impossible," said the commandant, who anticipated my re- 
quest, " he must retire instantly." 

" Do you hear," I said to Baptiste, who seemed disposed to 



46 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

turn into marble, he looked so white and petrified, '^ sauvez 
vous.^' 

Bowing to M. Demarle, 1 followed the officer appointed to escort 
me to the apartments of the Prince. I soon reached the low, 
narrow entrance of a gloomy and aged-looking building situated 
near one of the main walls, where I found a couple of sentinels 
posted. I ascended two flights of narrow stone stairs which were 
half crumbled away, and turning to the left down a dark corridor, 
I came to the door of the Prince, which was opened by his valet 
standing on the outside. 

I found Prince Louis seated at a table covered with books and 
papers in a small room, dimly lighted by two apertures from 
above, secured by stout iron bars. As I advanced, he rose, 
extending his hand, and said, with a friendly smile, " It is really 
very kind of you to come so far out of your way to see me in this 
place." 

" I should have gone much further, believe me, Monseigneur,'" 
I replied, " for the pleasure of meeting you once more." The 
Prince bowed, and playfully expressed his regrets at not having 
it in his power to receive me more in accordance with his wishes, 
" but at all events, I am consoled," he added, "in the belief that 
those who venture within these cheerless precincts come not from 
motives of ceremony, but from an honest sympathy rather in my 
welfare." 

I contemplated the Prince, while he spoke, with much interest, 
and was pained to see that he was sadly altered since I saw him 
last. He had grown much thinner ; was very pale and sickly- 
looking ; and his manner how diflerent from the gay, martial air 
he wore in London. Though ever simple and affable, his appear- 
ance betokened deep dejection, and a spirit bruised and sinking 
under constant reverses. 

From his person my glance wandered over the room, which 
surprised me by its extreme rudeness. It was very small — the 
walls bare and the floor without covering. Three or four wooden 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 47 

chairs, a single table, on which, among other objects, stood a 
simple student's lamp, constituted its principal furniture. In a 
recess on either side of the chimney, were shelves running to the 
ceiling filled with books, and here and there around the apart- 
ment were suspended several engravings, with some miniatures 
of -the Prince's family. On the low, wooden mantel-piece stood 
a common clock, and a small, plain looking-glass above it. 
The whole had very much the appearance of a common kitchen 
in some unpretending private house. 

" This is your study, Prince, I suppose ?" I remarked, after a 
rapid survey of the premises. 

" Yes, and my salon too," he replied ; " and that door opposite 
leads to a small cabinet which serves as a bed-room. On the 
other side of the corridor is another apartment, where I meet my 
fellow-prisoners at dinner." 

" The government, in this case, at all events," I observed, 
" cannot be accused of a want of the most rigid economy, for 
nothing can well be more illiberal, or vindictive, than the spirit 
which has assigned to your highness these miserable quarters." 

" Oh, I am very well off now, I assure you," answered the 
Prince ; " since they have ordered the removal of the damp brick 
floor, which in this wet climate and decayed old building 
seriously impaired my health. 1 am affected with a violent 
rheumatism, which you see has lamed me, but I trust it will pass 
off with time." 

"I cannot but admire, Prince," I responded, "the patient 
good-humor with which you support these spiteful acts of malevo- 
lence. It is just the treatment which an enemy inflicted on your 
illustrious uncle, the Emperor, when at St. Helena ; but his 
fierce spirit chafed itself away under indignities he could not 
brook. Your resignation, Prince, will likely foil the cruel 
anticipations that were probably entertained." 

A desultory conversation here ensued, in which I related to 
the Prince my visit to his relatives in America, after whom he 



48 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

asked with much interest. I also gave him many details of his 
friends in London that seemed naturally to afford him much 
pleasure. Nearly an hour of the very short time allowed me 
had elapsed, and as yet I had made no approach to the subject 
uppermost in my mind ; and now that the occasion was within 
my reach I felt a strange reluctance to seize it. A sudden 
sense of my presumption overcame me at seeking to penetrate 
the veil which hung over secrets of such solemn importance as 
the conspiracies of Strasburgh and Boulogne. How often it 
happens that the foot shrinks back from the threshold which the 
mind had so eagerly contemplated from afar. I sat irresolute, 
but inwardly speculating on the best mode of approaching the 
subject. To wend my way to it through any circuitous path 
would not conceal my motives from the quick discernment of 
the Prince, and might possibly offend his well-known frankness 
of character. To approach it directly and in front, would be 
regarded, perhaps, as an indelicacy on my part that might 
forfeit his good opinion of my breeding. Amid these embarrass- 
ments, the Prince suddenly inquired after a devoted and in- 
fluential friend of his in London, and it was happily in my 
power to afford him full and interesting information of his wel- 
fare. I closed my remarks with saying, almbst without thought, 
that he had related to me an anecdote which filled me with 
astonishment. 

" Indeed," inquired the Prince, " and pray what was that ?" 
" Why, that your highness," T answered, with my eyes intent- 
ly fixed on the Prince, " had stated to him, when dining at your 
table some three weeks or so before the descent on Boulogne, that 
any invasion of France at that time would in your opinion be at- 
tended with great risk, and probably end in a failure." 

The Prince returned my gaze with a look in which curiosity 
and confidence seemed to blend. Rising from his chair as 
though moved by my observation, and standing with his back to 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. ' 49 

the fire-place, he remained silent for a few moments, apparently- 
absorbed in his reflections. 

" To make you comprehend this seeming inconsistency," he 
suddenly remarked, " it will be necessary to tell you a long 
story, and to go back over a lengthened period of time ; but if 
your patience be adequate, I will cheerfully undertake the 
task." 

" I am deeply sensible, Monseigneur," I replied, bowing very 
Iqw, " of the honor you do me ; nor will I seek to disguise the 
profound interest I feel in the events you are about to relate. It 
is a narrative, 1 am sure,"! shall long remember." 

Seating himself with great deliberation, as though his mind 
was already wandering amid the labyrinths of the past, he began 
his recital. His language was simple, precise, and graphic, — his 
manner for the most part calm and collected, save where the 
events described became stirring, when his cheek would redden 
and his gesture grow animated. It would be hopeless to en- 
deavor to recall all his fine expressions, for my attention was 
almost entirely absorbed by the chief incidents of the moving 
drama in which he played so fearless, so honest, and so melan- 
choly a part. Suffice it, that the facts related may be relied on, 
for I have taken no small pains since to be correctly informed. 



50 NAPOLEON LOTUS BONAPARTE. 



V. 



" It were useless," began the Prince, " to dwell upon all that 
preceded, and led me to engage in the enterprise of Stras- 
burgh. It would seem like exaggeration also, to talk of the 
intense affection I bear to France ; but yet what is more natural ? 
It is not merely the country of my birth — the common but strong 
tie which binds every heart to the place of its nativity — but it is to 
France that my family owes all its honors and all its distinctions. I 
put a proper estimate on the genius of the Emperor, but it seems to 
me, that with any other than the French people, his glory would 
have been less. They were made for each other. How can a 
descendant, then, of Napoleon divert his mind and sympathies 
for a moment from the fortunes of France ? and from the first 
glimmering of reason her welfare has absorbed my whole soul. 
The Revolution of 1830 filled me with the most buoyant anticipa- 
tions, and I thought at last that all the lofty and glorious designs 
of the Emperor were to be fulfilled, and that the state would no 
longer groan under the burdens of a profligate expenditure^ — that 
the condition of the people, relieved from galling abuses, would 
gradually improve — and above all, that civil liberty would be 
constitutionally organized and honestly administered. What 
sinking at the heart ! what bitterness of disappointment I ex- 
perienced, as year after year I beheld the frustration of my hopes, 
it were idle now to recall ; but the inspirations of a just indigna^ 
tion gradually took possession of my breast, and I found cojisola? 
tion and relief in the whisperings of revolt." 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 51 

" And even were it possible, Prince," I ventured to remark, 
" to subdue your legitimate interest in the misfortunes of your 
country, it never seems to occur to the world that you must be a 
constant prey to the solicitations, entreaties, and remonstrances of 
hundreds of frenzied partisans, who, from motives patriotic or 
otherwise, are incessantly goading you on to some violent ex- 
pression of your sentiments." 

" I see no object in evading or denying your conjecture," 
returned the Prince ; " and such are the unenviable responsibili- 
ties of my position. Perhaps from my youth and inexperience I 
have allowed myself to be too easily moved by the zealous 
partisanship of some, and the heated, though honest patriotism of 
others. It were difficult, you may well believe, for any mind to 
retain its composure exposed to such temptations, even when it is 
wholly insensible to the merits of the cause so enthusiastically 
defended. But at the time I am now speaking, 1836, my 
sympathies were poignantly aroused, and the insidious but 
persevering efforts at reaction filled me with such anger that I 
listened readily to the appeals which reached me on every side. 
These were of a nature the most encouraging, and gave me good 
grounds to anticipate an easy success. I should say here in 
advance, that however ardent niy anxiety to vindicate myself 
from the natural, but unjust suspicions of the world, as to the 
folly or criminality of my attempts, I am forbidden by every senti- 
ment of honor to disclose many facts and names of an import- 
ance that would go a vast length towards moderating their harsh 
judgments. But this I feel no hesitation in saying, that had not 
a strange fatality arrested in both cases my attempts at their very 
outset, a result would have followed, which, in its rapidity and 
completeness, would have astonished Europe. But to return to 
Strasburgh, where, in the summer of 1836, I decided to accept 
the offers made me, and to ascertain by personal investigations 
what chances of success really existed. By means of trusty 
agents the regiments along the eastern frontier were all sounded, 



52 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

both officers and men, and singular to say, they all signified their 
willingness to support the proposed attempt. No pains were 
taken to sow sedition, or to stir up ill-blood amongst them. The 
only questions asked were simply these, ' Are you content with 
the government?' 'No.' ' Will you promise, then, should the 
occasion arise, to follow a Bonaparte?' *Yes.' Their names 
were then enrolled, and the most auspicious period for the en- 
terprise was next discussed. The month of August was decided 
on, and the city of Strasburgh was selected as the most eligible 
spot. 

" There were six regiments in garrison in this town, three of 
infantry and three of artillery, besides a battalion of pontonniers. 
Of the artillery and engineers there was no reason to doubt the 
constancy, nor, indeed, any as to the soldiers of the line, though 
it was suspected that some of their officers were less favorably 
disposed. As to the popular sentiments of the people of Stras- 
burgh, enough was known to guarantee their entire adhesion. 
Before settling definitely on the outbreak I determined, at what- 
ever risk, to repair to Strasburgh in person and form my opinions 
on the spot, of the exact dispositions of my partisans and the real 
nature of the obstacles to be encountered. It was difficult to 
elude the vigilance of the French police, who were constantly on 
my track, and still more, if possible, to escape from the fond 
vigilance of my mother, to whom I was doubly dear since the 
heart-rending death of my only brother. Under pretext of 
attending a ball at my aunt's, the Dowager Grand Duchess of 
Baden, I left our chateau of Arenenburgh, and betook myself, 
without suspicion, to Baden. On the night of the ball I mingled 
for a while with the gay throng, when I stole unobserved into the 
park adjoining the palace, mounted a horse, and galloped to the 
high-road where a carriage was in waiting. I crossed the 
frontier without accident in the uniform of a French officer ; and 
not long after midnight found myself in the heart of Strasburgh. 
I was enthusiastically received at the quarters of Col. — , 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 53 

where I found great numboffs of the officers of the various regiments 
assembled, in expectation of my arrival. We spent the greater 
portion of the night in deliberation. The most part were in 
favor of immediate operations, and thought that no benefit what- 
ever could accrue from further delay. There were others, how- 
ever, who hesitated, and considered postponement for a time the 
wisest policy. It is ever thus on the arrival of a crisis, when 
some of the boldest in purpose start back in apprehension from 
the alarming gulf which divides thought from action. For my- 
self, I deemed that sufficient preparation had been made, and was 
impatient ^ the irresolution manifested, for it was evident that 
they took counsel from their fears, and not from the improba- 
bilities of our situation. I considered it prudent, however, to 
preserve harmony, and after repeated explanations wherein I 
showed the certain results of our plans boldly carried out, I 
agreed to a suspension of further proceedings for two months, and 
then follow me who might, the blow should be struck. I re- 
crossed the frontier before daybreak, and returned in a few days 
in safety to Arenenburgh. 

" Meanwhile preparations went actively on ; every day's 
information from various quarters of France convinced me that 
it only needed the prestige of one victory to put an end to the 
natural hesitancy of hundreds of influential personages ; and 
from what I knew of the state of things at Strasburgh, I never 
doubted a moment that such a victory was entirely within my 
grasp. At the close of October, I set out again from my happy 
home, and my dear mother was entirely satisfied with my 
pretence of going to join a hunting party in the mountains. On 
the night of the 28th, I entered a second time the sleeping town 
of Srasburgh, which I shortly hoped to leave at the head of a 
triumphant insurrection. The 29th was rapidly consumed in 
completing the requisite details for the next morning's outbreak, 
and on this occasion I had reason to be satisfied with the alacrity 
displayed. There were no signs of indecision now, but still, I 



54 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

remember with emotion, there were soj^e, who, indifferent about 
their own fate, trembled for the consequences that threatened 
myself. Even in the case of complete success they saw the 
dangers that environed me, and that a chance blow might at any 
moment convert my triumph into a bloody and inglorious death. 
It was in this spirit that one of my most devoted friends, Col. 
Vaudrey, addressed me, and whilst he admitted the promising 
nature of our chances, he said that it clung to him the self-re- 
proach of exposing me to numerous and serious dangers.* I 
overruled his kind and affectionate remonstrances, and named 
midnight of the 29th for a last gathering of my friends, which 
took place immediately joining the Austerlitz barracks, which 
was garrisoned by the 4th regiment of artillery, commanded by 
Col. Vaudrey. 

" At this final re-union there were several schemes suggested 
relative to our mode of action the next morning. Some thought, 
as the artillery was the most effective arm of our force, that it 
should be the first assembled with its guns, and possession taken 
at once of all the strong points of the town ; that this vigorous 
step would at once disarm opposition and decide the fortunes of 
the day. Others condemned this as too violent a proceeding ; 
that it would necessarily offend the infantry, whose dispositions 
were above suspicion, and that instead of a popular movement 
headed by the troops, it would be regarded simply, if successful, 
as nothing more than a military insurrection. As my object was 
not personal aggrandizement, but a revolution in favor of popular 
freedom, I determined at once, at whatever risk, not to take a 
course which would leave me in doubt of the popular sympathies. 
Our plan, at length, was settled ; a few more details were 
arranged, and the separate parts of our task were assigned to 

* A touching anecdote is related by Louis Blanc in his " History of Ten 
Years," of this pure minded officer. A paper was handed him by the Prince, 
which secured an income of 10,000 francs to each of his two children. Col. 
ray instantly tore it up, saying, " I give my blood, I do not sell it." 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 55 

each. I spent the few remaining hours of the night in writing, and 
my last letters were inscribed to my mother, the one of triumph, 
the other of farewell, in case through any mischance I should 
never see her again.* At 5 o'clock on the morning of the 30th, 
the signal was given in the Austerlitz barracks. At the sound 
of the trumpets the soldiers were aroused, and seizing their 
muskets and swords, they hurried impetuously down into the 
court-yard. They were drawn up in double line around it, and 
Col. Vaudrey took his post in the centre. A short pause ensued 
awaiting my arrival, and a dead silence was preserved. On my 
appearance I was immediately presented to the troops in a few 
eloquent words from their Colonel. 

" ' Soldiers,' he said, * a great revolution begins at this 
moment. The nephew of the Emperor is before you. He 
comes to put himself at your head. He is arrived on the French 
soil to restore to France her glory and her liberty. It is now to 
conquer or to die for a great cause — the cause of the people. 
Soldiers of the 4th Regiment of Artillery, may the Emperor's 
nephew count on you 1 ' 

" The shout which followed this brief appeal nearly stunned 
me. Men and officers alike abandoned themselves to the wildest 
enthusiasm. Flourishing their arms with furious energy they 
filled the air with cries of Vive VEmjpereur ! If misgivings had 
ever crossed me of the fidelity of the French heart to the 
memory of Napoleon, they vanished for ever before the sudden- 
ness and fierceness of that demonstration. The chord was 
scarcely touched and the vibration was terrific. I was deeply 
moved, and nearly lost my self-possession. In a few moments I 
waved my hand signifying my desire to speak. Breathless 
silence ensued. 

* In the account given by Louis Blanc of these events, he states that, 
towards the last, the Prince seemed entu-ely engrossed with thoughts of his 
absent and much loved parent, and that he gave these letters to his aide-de- 
camp '•' with a trembling hand and swimming eyes." 



66 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

" ^ Soldiers/ I said, ' it was in your regiment the Emperor 
Napoleon, my uncle, first saw service ; with you he distinguished 
himself at Toulon ; it was your brave regiment that opened the 
gates of Grenoble to him, on his return from the Isle of Elba. 
Soldiers, new destinies are reserved to you. Here,' I continued, 
taking the standard of the eagle from an officer near me — ' here 
is the symbol of French glory ; it must become henceforth the 
symbol of liberty.' 

" The effect of these simple words was indescribable ; but the 
time for action had come. I gave the word to fall into column ; 
the music struck up — and putting myself at their head, the 
regiment followed me to a man. Meanwhile my adherents had 
been active elsewhere and uniformly successful. Lieutenant 
Laity, on presenting himself, was immediately joined by the corps 
of engineers. The telegraph was seized without a struggle. 
The cannoneers commanded by M. Parquin had arrested the 
Prefect. Every moment fresh tidings reached me of the success 
of the different movements that had been previously concerted. 
I kept steadily on my way at the head of the 4th regiment to the 
Finkmatt barracks, where I hoped to find the infantry ready to 
welcome me. Passing by the head-quarters where resided the 
commander-in-chief of the department of the Bas Rhin, Lieut. 
General Voirol, I halted, and was enthusiastically saluted by his 
guard with the cry of Vive VEmpereur ! I made my way to 
the apartments of the General, where a brief interview took 
place. On leaving, I thought it necessary to give him notice 
that he was my prisoner, and a small detachment was assigned 
to this duty." 

" From the fact that Gen. Voirol was an old soldier of the 
Empire, it was universally supposed at the time, Monseigneur," 
I remarked to the Prince, " that he was secretly favorable to 
your cause, though it was not to be expected that he would 
openly compromise himself till he saw the direction things were 
taking." 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 57 

" Yes," pithily returned the Prince, " there were many 
suppositions on this point, but it is sufficient that I had to make 
Gen. Voirol my prisoner. From his quarters I proceeded rapidly 
to the Finkmatt barracks, and although it was early in the morn- 
ing the populace were drawn out by the noise, and mingling their 
acclamations with those of the soldiers, they joined our cortege in 
crowds. An unlooked-for error here occurred which had a most 
deplorable effect on the whole enterprise, which had thus far gone 
on so swimmingly. We had reached the Faubourg de Pierre, 
when, being on foot, the head of the column lost sight of me, and 
instead of following the route agreed on and proceeding at once 
to the ramparts, they entered a narrow lane that led direct to the 
barracks. Amid the noise and confusion it was impossible to re- 
trieve this mischance, and I took hurriedly what measures I could 
to provide against its worst consequences. Fearing a possible 
attack on my rear, I was compelled to leave a half of the regi- 
ment in the main street we had left, and hastening forward, I 
entered the court-yard of the infantry barracks with my officers 
and some 400 men. I expected to find the regiment assembled, 
but the messenger intrusted with the news of my approach was 
prevented by some accident from reaching in time, and I found 
all the soldiers in their rooms occupied in preparing themselves 
for the Sunday's inspection. Attracted, however, by the noise, 
they ran to the windows, where I harangued them, and on hear- 
ing the name of Napoleon pronounced they rushed headlong 
down, thronged around me, and testified by a thousand marks of 
devotion their enthusiasm for my cause. The battalion of the 
pontonniers and the 3d regiment of artillery, with Messrs. Poggi 
and Conard and a great number of officers at their head, were all 
in movement and on their way to join me, and word was brought 
they were only a square off. In another moment I would have 
found myself at the head of 5000 men, with the people of the 
town everywhere in my favor, when of a sudden at one end of the 
couri-yard a disturbance arose without those at the other ex- 

3* 



58 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

tremity being able to divine the cause. Col. Taillandier had 
just arrived, and on being told that the Emperor's nephew v^^as 
there with the 4th regiment, he could not believe such extraor- 
dinary intelligence, and his surprise was so great that he pre- 
ferred attributing it to a vulgar ambition on the part of Col. 
Vaudrey rather than to credit this unexpected resurrection of a 
great cause. 'Soldiers,' he exclaimed, 'you are deceived; the 
man who excites your enthusiasm can only be an adventurer and 
an impostor.' An officer of his staff cried out at the same time, 
' It is not the Emperor's nephew ; it is the nephew of Col. 
Vaudrey ; I know him.' Absurd as was this announcement, it 
flew like lightning from mouth to mouth, and began to change the 
disposition of this regiment, M^hich a moment before had been so 
favorable. Great numbers of the soldiers, believing themselves 
the dupes of an unworthy deception, became furious. Col. 
Taillandier assembled them, caused the gates to be closed, and 
the drums to strike ; while on the other hand the officers devoted 
to me gave orders to have the generale beaten to bring forward 
the soldiers who had embraced my cause. The space we occu- 
pied was so confined that the regiments became, as it were, con- 
founded together, and the tumult was frightful. From moment 
to moment the confusion increased, and the officers of the same 
cause no longer recognised each other, as they all wore the same 
uniform. The cannoneers arrested infantry officers, and the in- 
fantry in their turn laid hold of some officers of artillery. Mus- 
kets were charged, and bayonets and sabres flashed in the air, 
but no blow was struck, as each feared to wound a friend. A 
single word from myself, or Col. Taillandier, would have led to 
a regular massacre. The officers around me repeatedly offered 
to hew me a passage through the infantry, which could have been 
easily effected, but I would not consent to shed French blood in 
my own cause ; besides, I could not believe that the 46th regi- 
ment, which a moment previously had manifested so much sym- 
pathy, could have so promptly changed their sentiments. At any 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BOxXAPARTE. 59 

risk I determined to make an effort to recover my influence over 
it, and I suddenly rushed into their very midst ; but in a minute 
I was surrounded by a triple row of bayonets, and forced to 
draw my sabre to parry off the blows aimed at me from every 
side. In another instant I should have perished by French 
hands, when the cannoneers perceiving my danger, charged, and 
carrying me off, placed me in their ranks. Unfortunately this 
movement separated me from my officers, and drew me back to 
the extremity of the court-yard, amongst the soldiers who still re- 
mained doubtful of my identity. 

" The idea occurred to me if I could get a horse I might ren- 
der myself sufficiently prominent to command the tumult, and I 
made my way towards a picket of cavalry, when just then the 
artillery were driven back, and I was thrown down by their 
horses. The infantry, profiting by this circumstance, rushed upon 
me, and succeeded in making me a prisoner ; and my officers, 
seeing that further resistance was useless, necessarily surren- 
dered themselves to the same fate."* 

* It will be interesting to add a sketch of this stirring scene from the skilful 
pen of Louis Blanc, which in the main, it will be seen, is accurate. " The 
Finkmatt barracks," he writes, '"' are situated between the Faubourg de Pierre 
and the rampart, on a hne parallel with them. Connected with the Faubourg, 
by an extremely narrow lane which leads up to the principal entry to the bar- 
racks, it is separated from the ramparts only by a long yard, at one end of 
which is an iron gate. Now it had been settled that the insurgents should 
take the rampart road, the only route that allowed their forces to be displayed 
in an imposing manner, and would enable them to retreat in case of ill suc- 
cess. Bfit by an inexphcable fatality, the head of the column went astray and 
entered the lane, leaving the bulk of the troops in the Faubourg de Pierre ; 
and Louis Bonaparte found himself entangled with a weak escort in a yard, 
which, if fortune failed him, might become his prison or his grave. 

" Nevertheless, hearing the magic name of the Emperor pronounced, the foot 
soldiers hasten up from all sides ; an old sergeant cries out that he had served 
in the imperial guard, and stoops down to seize the hand of the Prince, whom 
he embraces with tears. Emotion sways the soldiers at this spectacle ; already 
they surrounded Louis Bonaparte with marks of sympathy ; already the cry is 



60 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

raised of Vive I'Empereur, when suddenly a strange rumor is heard among 
them ; it is positively asserted that it is the nephew of Col. Vaudrey, who pre- 
sents himself under the name of Louis Bonaparte which he vilely usurped, and 
a heutenant named Pleignier rushes forward to make the Prince his prisoner. 
Himself arrested by the artillerymen, he struggles bravely, whilst his soldiers 
advance to rescue him. The moment was critical and decisive. A pistol shot 
would, perhaps, have sufficed to allay the danger, but Louis Bonaparte could not 
make up his mind to fire it. He even ordered the release of the lieutenant, 
who, returning to the charge, provoked a fresh conflict. Things were in this 
state when Lt. Col. Taillandier arrived, and at his voice distrust became 
changed into rage. The court-yard resounded with menaces, and swords were 
flashing. The artillerymen who had been left in the Faubourg Pierre, hearing 
of the Prince's danger, had put themselves in motion ; suddenly they were seen 
rushing in crowds into the barracks, and with them entered pell-mell, sixty 
mounted cannoneers. The infantry then driven back violently to both ends of 
the yard, uttered shouts of fury — formed again, and returned fiercely upon the 
Prince's partisans, who were pushed and knocked down by the horse against 
the curtain of the rampart. It was a terrible moment. Here stood the foot- 
soldiers with bayonets charged ; there the artillerymen with their carbines 
levelled, ready to fire : above and along the ramparts, the people zealously in- 
voking success upon the Prince, and pouring volleys of stones on the infantry, 
amidst confused clamors, the roll of drums, the clash of arms, and the neighing 
of horses. But aU this was of short duration. In an insurrection not to van- 
quish quickly, is to be vanquished. A few musket shots fired in the air by 
order of Col. Taillandier intimidated the people. On M. de Gricourt and de 
Querelles proflfering to Louis Bonaparte to cut a passage for him sword in 
hand, he rejected the offer, and was made a prisoner. " Surrender," was 
shouted at the same time to Col. Vaudrey ; he refiised ; but Col. Taillandier 
approaching him, and whispering in his ear that the revolt was regarded in 
the town as a legitimatist movement, he at last ordered his cannoneers to re- 
tire, and gave himself up." 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 61 



VI. 



" It is a deeply stirring narrative," I observed, " but nothing, 
Prince, strikes me with more wonder than the extreme facility 
which attended every step of the enterprise. The people, it 
seems, were as enthusiastic as the soldiery. What could be 
more conclusive of the deep-seated popularity of the Bonaparte 
cause in France ! It was a strange fatality, that singular delu- 
sion as to your identity, which arose at the very moment that 
victory perched upon your standard ! It is clear that nothing but 
this doubt prevented the town falling into your hands, amid the 
acclamations of the inhabitants. If it were a ruse of some enemy, 
he deserves credit, at least, for his ingenuity." 

" No," replied the Prince, " I do not think it was an invention 
to arrest the revolt, but it sprang naturally from the doubts of 
various parties, who, from negligence, or prudence, had not been 
intrusted with the secret of the intended attempt. It was, indeed, 
an unlooked-for result, and fortune played me a sorry freak." 

" But, failure as it was, Monseigneur," I continued, " the con- 
spiracy fell so little short of complete success, that the govern- 
ment must have been seized with terror. Its unpopularity and 
weakness could hardly have been more fully and rapidly demon- 
strated. No doubt the King must have been sorely puzzled what 
course to take with your highness ?" 

" Your speculations," returned the Prince, " are all correct. 
The singular ease with which our plans were carried almost up 
to their fulfilment must have struck the government with deep 



62 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

alarm. Their next care was to suppress, by any effort, the truth 
from getting out. It was officially stated that the 4th regiment 
only was compromised, and yet officers of other regiments were 
secretly cashiered. As for myself, I have since learnt that much 
embarrassment was experienced as to my disposition. To bring 
me to trial was considered indiscreet, as the particulars of the 
Strasburg affair could, then, no longer be concealed ; besides, it 
was thought injudicious to rouse the popular passions in my 
favor. There were fears, too, entertained that a jury would not 
condemn me, and numerous members of the Court of Peers de- 
clared their determination not to sit upon my trial. It would 
have been a dexterous thing to have sent me quietly back to 
Switzerland, with a simple condemnation of my youthful rashness. 
But, instead, they gave far more importance to the event by the 
decision they came to. I was for a few days imprisoned in the 
jail at Strasburgh, without receiving any tidings of my unfortu- 
nate companions, whose possible fate filled me with anguish. In 
this gloomy state of mind I was aroused late one night from my 
disturbed slumbers by my guard, and requested to follow him. 
The manner of the man and the nature of the summons for a mo- 
ment awakened my suspicions, and expecting the worst, I got up 
hastily, and obeyed him. Directly I found myself in the pre- 
sence of the Prefet, who stated that a carriage was in waiting, 
and that I must set off instantly for Paris. No time was allowed 
me for preparation, and in a few minutes more, without baggage 
or a servant, I was rapidly whirling along under a strong escort 
on the high road to the Capital. On my arrival I was courteously 
received by the Prefect of Police, who further informed me that 
my immediate departure from France was decided on. I rested 
but two hours in Paris, during which I wrote to the King implor- 
ing his clemency for my unhappy partisans. 1 had nothing to 
ask for myself. Soon after I was transported aboard a ship of 
war, which quickly set sail, and on the day succeeding only, ac- 
cording to his instructions from the Minister, the Captain opened 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 63 

his orders, and found himself directed to Rio Janeiro, and thence 
to New York." 

" It was, indeed, a painful ordeal, Monseigneur," I remarked, 
" that you were thus called to undergo, in being torn from home, 
country, and friends, under circumstances so distressing, and given 
up for months to the solitude of the seas, with your mind a prey 
to the most harassing recollections. Your arrival in the New 
World must have been an inexpressible relief." 

" In truth it was," responded the Prince ; " for though I could 
find abundant consolation for myself in the motives that inspired 
me, yet I could obtain no rest from the afflicting apprehensions 
which constantly pursued me for the destiny of my followers. 
Even if their lives were not menaced, and this seemed to me im- 
possible when their leader was acquitted, still I knew they must 
be languishing in prison, where for years they might linger, their 
prospects blasted and their names sullied with reproach. If I 
had been instrumental in bringing upon them such misfortunes, I 
would have deemed myself without excuse. But give me some 
news of New York. I was greatly struck by that fine city ; its 
noble situation, its magnitude, and growing splendor, all impressed 
me strongly, and I recall with the deepest satisfaction the nu- 
merous acts of kindness and generous hospitality so freely ex- 
tended to me." 

" New York has made wonderful progress," I replied, " since 
the period of your highness's visit, and it promises at no very 
distant day to become in wealth and population one of the leading 
capitals of the world. Whether it will ever rival in its orna- 
mental attributes, its public edifices, its promenades and pleasure 
grounds, the chief cities of Europe, is a question not so easily 
solved, for our institutions are considered unfavorable to the large 
expenditure for such purposes that is so common in Europe. But 
whilst I think it is an unjustifiable abuse of the public funds to 
waste so much treasure as has been done in France, and other 
countries, on palaces, and gardens meant only for royal indul- 



64 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

gence ; yet I am persuaded that in America the people would 
entertain no objection to pay liberally for museums, parks, and 
picture galleries that were destined for the amusement of all 
classes. It is not the rich who need such entertainment, but the 
poorer orders that would find delight in these resources. There 
is quite enough of taxation now in our country to allow of muni- 
ficent appropriations for such purposes, were peculation and job- 
bing put an end to ; but as democracy progresses, we may hope 
for gradual improvement in these respects." 

" I am quite your way of thinking," replied Prince Louis, 
*' and if anything could reconcile me to the abominable extrava- 
gance of past governments in France, it is that these luxuries 
have become public property. There is a manifest justice in the 
fact that those gorgeous gardens, and galleries like Versailles and 
the Louvre, whose construction almost impoverished the nation, 
should return at last to the hands of the people. In America I 
see' nothing but the jealousy of the people, or the timidity of 
public men, to prevent so wise an employment of a certain portion 
of the public funds. Recreation is indispensable to our comfort, 
and all classes seek it in proportion to their resources. It is a 
great object, it strikes me, in a free state, that the lower classes 
should be provided with the means of refined amusement, since it 
will necessarily elevate their dispositions and purify their tastes. 
The public garden, adorned with statuary ; the picture gallery, 
embellished by noble specimens of art, are directly calculated to 
withdraw the people from grosser diversions. There is no doubt 
that with increasing wealth these subjects will be agitated amongst 
you, and that the good sense which is so characteristic of you 
Americans will prevail over democratic prejudices, which in this 
case seem to me groundless. In Europe what the people pay for, 
the rich only enjoy. This is unjust, and could not be, did the 
people exercise a legitimate influence. But that the people of 
your country should refuse to partake of refined pleasures which 
they are able to afford, and could control, does not strike me as 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 65 

consistent or rational. Nothing can be more incongruous, how- 
ever, than to hurry to conclusions relative to the effects of your 
institutions, or the dispositions of your people. Both, it may be 
said, are new and untried, and it is the business of philosophy to 
sit calmly down, and weigh every result carefully in the scale of 
investigation. We know positively nothing about you in Europe, 
either of your system or of your character. Our reasonings are 
all founded on the events of our own history ; whereas your poli- 
tical and social career, proceeding from premises wholly different, 
must lead to far other, and most novel Consequences-. I regret 
with all my heart that I had not time to travel extensively over 
the United States, and scrutinize, as far as a foreigner may, the 
workings of your political machinery ; but more especially, the 
peculiarities of your people. The great secret lies here ; the 
same government in Europe, were it possible, would produce 
altogether different developments, and from the little I saw of the 
United States, there was far more to study in the habits, tastes, 
and opinions of the people themselves than in the structure even 
of your institutions, though so ingenious and original. There 
was, in the first place, a latitude of liberty which confounded me, 
and which, perhaps, is less comprehensible to a Frenchman than 
to any other nation, for the peculiarity with us, and a crying mis- 
fortune it is, too, is the excess of governmental interference in 
everything." 

" Yes, Prince, this is strikingly true," I said with some warmth. 
" An American who has lived much in France is alternately 
astonished and amused at detecting on every side of him, in his 
business or amusement, the officious, meddling hand of govern- 
ment. Waking or sleeping, sitting or walking, in his dress and 
living, it is everywhere about and above him, and the natural 
effect is, which shrewd politicians must see, to effeminate and de- 
grade the character of the people. I verily believe if passports 
were suddenly abolished the French would be "afraid to travel, 
and I doubt if a crowd would ever get inside of a theatre if the 



66 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

police were not there to keep them in a line. While this govern- 
mental constraint is so rigidly kept up, I see no chance for the 
training of the people in those robust habits of self-reliance which 
are the mainspring of an independent government. The essence 
of a free state is the management by a people of their own affairs ; 
now what hope, Monseigneur, can there be cherished of a repub- 
lic in France, whilst the people remain for ever subject to the 
tutelary restrictions of the government ? In this respect they are 
but children in leading-strings alongside of the Americans ; and 
the offer of a free goveimment to the French is like setting a fine 
picture before a blind man ; they lack the first element to its en- 
joyment." 

" You have struck," replied Prince Louis, '' the very root of 
the evil, and the politician who is sincere in his desires for the 
regeneration of France, will earnestly set to work to curtail 
governmental sway. Almost the first step in this true path re- 
mains to be taken, and that the people are sufficiently ripe for 
making a beginning I do most conscientiously believe. It was.just 
the opposite of this state of things that riveted my attention in 
America. The people there are not only accustomed to think for 
themselves, bnt I observed they were keenly jealous of the 
smallest interference with their action. They cannot be too 
vigilant in this respect, for so long as public men are prevented 
from sacrificing the public weal to their personal aggrandizement, 
the condition of the state must remain sound. There was one 
feature, however, of your social system^ which greatly interested, 
and I may say, perplexed me. An European habituated to a so- 
ciety of castes, where artificial distinctions are perpetuated by 
law and privilege, comes to America, the only land where 
equality is not a dogma of the schools, prepared to find society 
flowing over one smooth, unbroken level ; where all individuals 
of good repute, without reference to fortune or occupation, are 
seen to mingle freely and harmoniously together. Judge his sur- 
prise, therefore, to meet with the same arbitrary distinctions be- 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. ' 67 

tween classes which he is accustomed to behold in Europe ; to 
hear the same conventional terms in use as to quality, and to per- 
ceive the same struggle going on between cliques and coteries 
for the ascendency which he reasonably thought were the natural 
production of an aristocratic soil, and hardly expected to find 
transplanted and flourishing on a democratic ground. With us, 
you know, social rank is broadly marked and easily recognised ; • 
but amongst you, where title is not worn, and fortunes are not per- 
petuated, confess that a foreigner is likely to be puzzled as to the 
nature of the distinctions which exist, and to marvel somewhat at 
their existing at all. I soon became aware of these shades and 
differences, but had not time enough to come to any accurate con- 
clusions on the subject. I readily accepted the numerous civilities 
proffered me from every side, as I was anxious to judge for myself 
of the various shades of your society. I remember very well on 
one occasion receiving the visit at my hotel of a gentlemanly per- 
son who introduced himself, frankly saying that he was a simple 
citizen of New York, but being desirous of the honor of enter- 
taining so near a relative of the Emperor Napoleon, had come to 
invite me to an evening party at his house. I thanked him 
cordially for his flattering invitation, and cheerfully accepted it. 
I failed not at the appointed time, and was highly gratified with 
my reception. The house was spacious and elegant ; the guests 
well-dressed and agreeable ; and the entertainment in all respects 
luxurious. There was all the ease and self-possession of good 
society (which, by the by, is singularly characteristic of Ame- 
ricans) ; nothing uncouth or vulgar that I saw, and my evening 
passed off with great relish. I should not omit to say that the 
fairer portion of the company confirmed my previous impressions 
of American beauty. The next day, in relating the circumstance 
to some of my visitors, I mentioned the name of my affable host, 
and great was the indignation thereat. A most impertinent 
liberty had been taken with me, was their remark. Somewhat 
startled at this information, I inquired in haste as to the character 



68 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

of the party. There was nothing to be alleged against that, it 
was admitted. To his intelligence and civility I can bear wit- 
ness, I replied, then pray tell me what it is which renders his 
house so unfit a place for me ? ' Oh,' was the response, ' he does 
not belong to the best society.' I attempted with great earnest- 
ness to trace the nature of such distinctions, but their subtlety 
"completely foiled me. I could obtain no satisfactory clue to 
these mystical ramifications, and was left to conclude that they 
were wholly capricious and unreasonable. Without yielding to 
prejudices that were evidently local, I remarked to my friends 
that New York was fortunate in possessing a class in any degree 
superior to the one in question. And really, there seems to me 
something illogical in refusing to associate with one man who 
may, perchance, trade in oil, whilst another is courted because he 
owns the ship which transports it abroad." 

" And so it strikes me, Mouse igneur," I said with ready con- 
currence ; " but when such a distinction is drawn between two 
men it does not follow that pecuniary advantages make the whole 
difierence. One may be agreeable and well-bred, the other just 
the contrary ; and a society which preferred the latter because he 
was the richer, would without doubt be badly constituted. But 
this is not true of New York, or of the country generally. The 
fact is that foreigners constantly do us injustice in this respect, 
and merely because it is impossible for them, either through na- 
tural prejudices, or necessarily limited observation, to arrive at 
the real condition of things. It were tedious to attempt a full 
explanation, but I will endeavor to be explicit. That political 
laws do change and modify character is abundantly true, but 
that they will ever revolutionize human nature, is highly unphilo- 
sophical to suppose. The passions and affections may be elevated 
or subdued, but never radically altered or extinguished. The 
purpose of any political system which is to resist the ardent 
aspirations of the heart after superiority, is shallow, and doomed 
to failure. No such fantastic dreams floated in the clear vision 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 69 

of the founders of our republic. They took the very opposite 
direction to what a French assembly would. Instead of drawing 
lines and limits, and raising barriers and obstacles on every 
side, so as to compel humanity to follow the straight road of 
logic, but which its nature secretly delights in evading, they 
acted on the profound truth, that the best government is that 
which governs least. Ordaining such laws as would prevent one 
class arrogating priority over another ; forbidding badges of dis- 
tinction, and providing for the constant distribution of individual 
wealth ; they wisely left social life to regulate itself under these 
salutary restraints. The consequence is, that society with us 
reposes on a true and natural basis, consisting of elements that are 
entitled to precedence. Talent, character, and breeding, are not 
merely passports to the best society, but there are no other 
standards by which to qualify it. There is no society amongst 
us which could exclude them, and there is none really respect- 
able where they are not found. That there may be in our 
larger cities, individuals, sometimes, with doubtful pretensions 
to either, who, from vanity, endeavor to form coteries that aspire 
to regulate fashion, and pronounce on the claims of candidates to 
their favor, is, so far from being a contradiction to our political 
system, a direct proof of its tolerant justice. To interfere with 
the caprices of individuals which do not invade the public good 
would be a gross infringement of personal liberty ; and our sys- 
tem, as all true democratic systems ought, prefers to err on the 
side of liberty. These social monopolies are necessarily evanes- 
cent ; for, founded chiefly on wealth, they disappear with its 
absorption, which is sure to follow through accident, or legal 
provision, as stated before. Wealth in our society exercises the 
same influence as elsewhere in the world. It is untrue that its 
sway is greater, and it is more short-lived, for it is usually 
limited to the life of its possessor. You will admit. Prince, that 
it is by no means a rare sight in London or Paris, to meet in the 
best society the parvenu who has nothing but his ingots and im- 



70 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

pudence to recommend him. This is far more common in 
England, for society in France is gradually assimilating to our 
own. Already intellect is its highest distinction, while title and 
family are steadily dwindling to its least. This is true demo- 
cratic progress, but yet I am bold to say, Monseigneur, that 
France has an immense distance to travel. Social equality 
universally prevails ; an easy and affectionate intercourse between 
all classes and conditions is one of the most winning features of 
the French, but still a taste for rank and decorations inspires the 
higher classes, whilst great deference is felt for them by the 
lower. In this particular it is impossible for an European to 
imagine the contrast to be found in the United States, where the 
insensibility of the mass to distinctions merely adventitious, like 
those of title or descent, really surpasses belief. Any foreign 
nobleman, of high or low degree, who comes amongst them, will 
be treated with the same politeness extended to any other respect- 
able stranger, and he will be appreciated according to his conduct. 
If he be arrogant, they laugh at him ; if he be unassuming, they 
respect him. If his name be greater than his rank, they may be 
disposed to honor the services of the statesman, the patriot, or the 
soldier."* 

" Your remarks are not more original than just," flatteringly 
declared Prince Louis, " and accord entirely with my own ob- 
servations. I was but a little while amongst your countrymen 
before I discovered that the many amiable attentions offered me 

* This was abundantly proved in the case of Lord Morpeth, who visited 
the United States in 1840. As the representative of the " aristocratic blood 
of all the Howards" he would have gone through the country unnoticed, 
but as a distinguished member of the English Parliament he attracted 
attention, which his easy manners and unpretending demeanor soon 
enlivened into compliment. Numerous demonstrations were made in his 
honor in all parts of the Union, and it is said that many of our western 
" Hoosiers" agreed, that in spite of his title, if he would settle out thar, 
they would run him for Congress. His finished eloquence commanded 
universal admiration. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 71 

were dictated by respect for the name I bore rather thin from 
any regard to my titular rank. It was in this spirit that I re- 
ceived a compliment that touched me nearly. I was on my way 
back to my hotel from a pleasant dinner at the country house on 
Long Island, of one of your leading journalists, whose hospitality 
laid me under much obligation,* when in driving through 
the streets of Brooklyn, I found several military companies 
drawn up in anticipation of my return, and who paid me the 
honor of a passing salute. Judge of my surprise, only equalled 
by my pleasure, to find myself, a stranger in exile and mis- 
fortune, the object of such a demonstration. Its value was 
infinitely enhanced by the fact that it was not the formal display 
of an official body, nor yet partook of that conventional courtesy 
which prompts a monarchical government to honor the repre- 
sentative of royal pretensions ; but was clearly the spontaneous 
act of a people entirely free, and meant solely to express in a 
dignified manner their respect for the memory of Napoleon and 
their regard for the land of my birth. In Europe the civility of 
any functionary might have procured me this honor, but in the 
United States I felt that such a manifestation could not proceed 
from any individual source, and that unless the impulse came 
from .the people, no commander, civil or military, would presume 
to suggest it. This, and many other incidents during my stay, 
soon taught me where the real power amongst you resided, and 
it was so totally unlike anything I had ever before seen, that it 
opened a new and curious view of reflection in my mind. No 
foreigner who can raise himself above the prejudices of his 
country or station can pass a single day in the United States 
without profit to his heart and understanding. 

" That your countrymen should regard the distinctions of rank 

with such supreme indifference is natural from not having grown 

up under their influence, and from their habit of employing their 

reason only in estimating men and things. Your institutions 

* Col. Webb of the Courier and Enquirer. 



72 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

rest upon this foundation only, whilst ours constantly appeal to 
the imagination. Your view of French society is correct, for 
rank, in losing its former wealth, is vastly diminished in import- 
ance, and to the unspeakable honor of my country, intellect holds 
pre-eminence. So sensible am I of the fact that capacity in 
French esteem takes precedence of all illusion, that I writhe 
under the cruel and unnecessary expatriation of my family. 
Why should I, merely because I am the nephew of Napoleon, be 
expelled from France, and forced to drag out my existence in 
exile ? Why should 1 be cut off from the privilege the humblest 
Frenchman enjoys, of employing his faculties for the benefit of 
his country and the honor of his name ? The policy of the 
monarchy is clearly to exclude me from every chance of win- 
ning the respect of my countrymen, but such glaring injustice 
must be, I feel, repugnant to them." 

" Such reflections as these, Monseigneur," I interposed, " must 
keep your mind in perpetual irritation. It is impossible to shut 
them out, and their constant recurrence must alternately arouse 
you to fury, or drive you to despair. To leave out of the ques- 
tion the deep love of the nation for the Emperor, the kindly 
natures of the French must rebel against your harsh treatment 
by Bourbon royalties, and daily proof is afforded of this both 
through the press and tribune, and by men of the highest con- 
sequence. I am emboldened by your frankness. Prince, to 
express all my surprise and delight to hear a person of your 
exalted rank speak so plainly of the conditions requisite in France 
at this epoch to obtain influence and position. Your name is, 
undoubtedly, an immense advantage, but it is accompanied by an 
equal drawback, for the world will be hardly satisfied with any- 
thing in a Bonaparte short of the genius of the Emperor. The 
comparison must be fearful to any man. For my part — but I 
fear, with my American laisser aller, that I may chance to offend 
your highness by the too blunt expression of my views." 

" Nay," answered the Prince, " it is pleasing from its very 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 73 

novelty. There are few who approach me who have any interest 
in speaking candidly on any subject, and I receive only such 
opinions as are supposed will be most agreeable ; very few, in- 
deed, are meant only to benefit me. Pray go on, and say in 
your own way, and to the full extent, whatever strikes you. 
Let me hope there ^s nothing in my manner that imposes any 
restraint." 

" On the contrary, Monseigneur, joiir extreme amiability 
charms me into forgetfulness of my whereabouts, and frequently 
of whom I am addressing. Since your Highness is so encourag- 
ing, I will take the liberty of saying that you are the only per- 
son of rank I ever met who seemed thoroughly unconscious of 
the fact ; besides, it is so natural for an American to display his 
republican bias, that I feel I am running the risk at every mo- 
ment of committing some affront to your monarchical sentiments." 

"Oh, there," said the Prince, smiling, "you do me injustice. 
You quite overlook my claims to republican ideas and habits, by 
forgetting that I vvas educated for the most part in a republican 
country. Bred among the single-minded and pure-hearted 
mountaineers of Switzerland ; early inured to their unaffected 
manners and simple tastes, where should I contract the arrogant 
bearing and dissembling selfishness of the hdbituts of a court ? 
The truth is, I have learned, after many rude lessons, that a 
republican school is not exactly the sort of training that fits a 
man best to cope with the artifice of designing men.* Were we 

* It will be interesting to append, in connexion with the above remarks of 
the Prince, the following admirably written sketch of him, by Louis Blanc, in 
the able work already quoted from. It is only fair to say, that it was published 
some five years or more prior to the period I am writing of : — 

" To know how to command one's own heart, to be insensible and patient, 
to care for nothing but the end in view, to dissemble ; not to expend one's 
daring on mere projects, but to reserve it wholly for action ; to urge men to 
devotedness without putting too much faith in it ; to traffic with baseness whilst 
seeing through it ; to despise men ; to seem strong in order to become so ; and 
to make oneself creatures, less through gratitude which wearies zeal, than 

4 



74 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

to enter on a discussion of politics, it might turn out that our 
views were not altogether dissimilar ; though, perchance, 1 might 
not agree with you that because republican truths were the 
soundest, they must necessarily succeed on a premature trial. 
But what were you going to say just now of the Emperor V 

" Simply," I replied, " that were he living, his very genius 
would render him the most unfitting to take control of affairs 
in France. His intellect was so active, profound, and pervading, 
that he must lead and rule in all things. In war, unity is neces- 
sary to success, and a despotic will has then its compensation ; 
but in affairs of legislation it is far otherwise, and in this demo- 
cratic epoch, deference must be paid to the popular will. Could 
a nature like Napoleon's brook interference with its plans, and 
could a people advanced to where the French now are, submit 
unmurmuring to a despotism the most enlightened, even though 
they saw their profit in it ? The good Napoleon accomplished 

through hope which stimulates it : such is, in the egotist and vulgar meaning 
of the phrase, the genius of the ambitious. Now, Prince Louis Bonaparte 
possessed scarcely any of its constituent elements, whether good or evil. His 
easily moved sensibility exposed him unarmed to the spurious officiousness of 
subalterns. Through haste or good nature, he sometimes erred in his judg- 
ment of men. The impetuosity of his wishes deceived him or hurried him 
away. Endowed with a straightforwardness injurious to his designs, he 
exhibited, in rare combination, the elevation of a soul that loves the truth, 
and the weakness of which flatterers take advantage. He was prodigal 
of himself, to augment the number of his partisans. He possessed, in a word, 
neither the art of husbanding his resources, nor that of dexterously exaggerat- 
ing their importance. But, on the other hand, he was generous, enterprising, 
prompt in military exercises, and the uniform sat upon him with a manly grace. 
There was no braver officer, no more gallant cavaher. Though the expression 
of his countenance was gentle, rather than energetic and imperious, 
though there was an habitual languor in his looks, often dashed with thought, 
no doubt the soldier would have loved him for his frank bearing, his honest 
and hearty speech, his small figure resembling his uncle's, and the im- 
perial lightning which the passion of the moment kindled in his blue eye. 
What a name, too, was his !" 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 75 

for France and the world is immeasurable, but in my mind it is 
all connected with the time when he appeared. His advent now 
would lead to very different results. He never could obtain the 
same ascendency, and the force of his will would tend to retard 
progress, even if he regarded it favorably. Two wills cannot 
exist well in harmony, and for the good of th& state the prepon- 
derance must be with the sovereign or the people. It is now 
with the people, and would Napoleon, were he living, recognise 
it ? — could he obey it ? For that reason I think that any of the 
younger members of his family, trained up under a fuller 
development of the popular supremacy, would make a more use- 
ful, if less brilliant ruler in France." 

" The loftiest genius," briefly returned the Prince, " is so 
versatile and pliant, that it is impossible to say whether Napoleon 
now, with the selfsame faculties, vv^ould not offer altogether a 
different spectacle for conteniplation. But before it escapes my 
mind, let me ask if, in your remarks just now respecting 
American society, you meant to say that occupation exercised no 
influence over the position of individuals ?" 

" By no means. Prince," I explained ; " for to imply as much 
would be to overturn my previous statement. In every well- 
regulated community, skill, purely mechanical, must be held in 
lighter estimation than ability wholly intellectual ; but this much 
I feel justified in asserting, that with every succeeding year, as 
we recede further and further from our former colonial connex- 
ion with England, our laws become more democratic, and our 
habits more social — less imbued with that worst feature of aris- 
tocracy, exciusiveness. If the rich butcher or successful tailor 
does not aspire to mingle in our best society, there is no one 
would think of disputing the pretensions of their sons and 
daughters to taking their place there, if otherwise qualified. 
The social process with us is somewhat rotatory, in this wise : 
The enterprising parent accumulates fortune ; the high-bred 
children spend it in a luxurious life ; and the third generation 



76 NAPOLEON LOtJIS BONAPARTE. 

are compelled to return to work again. Laws of primogeniture 
and entail would furnish us with different results."* 

* But fenced in as society is in England, there are still many individuals of 
low degree who, by dint of tact, leap over its gilded palisades. There is the 
well known Sir Peter Laurie, Knight, widely acquainted among the aristocracy, 
who made his fortune as a saddler ; and there is the more celebrated 

Mrs. , who occasionally entertains the Court and first nobility, to the 

intense mortification of titled and richer rivals for these high honors. It is 
neither the superior charms of breeding nor intellect, that won for this singular 
person so high a position. Her way to it was literally strewed with flowers. 
Videlicet — She took it into her head to build an enormous hot-house, where 
she raised in great abundance the rarest flowers known in England. These 
precious bouquets she bestowed with liberal hand on objects deserving these 
deUcate attentions, and her tact was displayed by carrying on these floral 
bounties for a long period anonymously. The obliged parties could neither, 
therefore, refuse nor return them, and when the secret in due time came out, 
good taste required acknowledgment. Presents were refiased, but invitations 
accepted. The history that enterprising nobodies adopt in England to 
breathe the scented atmosphere of aristocratic saloons, would make a highly 
amusing chapter, had I time or disposition to write it. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 77 



VII. 



My eye here accidentally caught sight of the clock over the 
mantel, and I discovered with a start that more than half of the 
four pitiful hours allowed me had already elapsed. I was ex- 
ceedingly anxious to reach the affair of Boulogne, and in order to 
bring back the Prince to the narration from which he had so 
pleasantly wandered, I asked him what was his motive in quitting 
America so early. 

"The harrowing intelligence," he answered, "of my dear 
mother's extreme illness, whose entreaty was, if I valued her 
dying blessing, to return instantly, and that her only prayer night 
and day was to live till she should embrace me for the last time. 
1 fled on the wings of the wind back to Switzerland, and had the 
melancholy satisfaction to watch by her bedside till in a few short 
weeks she breathed her last in my arms. This blow was the 
heaviest of my life," continued the Prince, whose voice seemed 
to waver and weaken as he alluded to this painful event. " For 
a while I sank down completely under its prostration. The vani- 
ty of life and its hopes filled my mind, and under the chastening 
influence of this grief I remained dead to the deceptions of ambi- 
tion, and insensible to the provocations which as formerly set in 
upon me. I gave myself up to the calm excitement of literary 
pursuits, and not a stray thought ever wandered beyond the am- 
ple precincts of my paternal domain. 1 was awaked from this 
moral lethargy by the most singular announcement, and one the 
least called for, and the least expected, that the King of the French 
had appealed to the Allied Powers to unite with him in compelling 



78 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

me to give up my residence in Switzerland, and in case of refusal, 
to employ force, if necessary, to effect that purpose. No specific 
offence was alleged against me for this high-handed outrage on 
the integrity of a neutral territory, and this unjust invasion of my 
private rights. Indeed, in the eyes of any sensible person, this 
pretended apprehension of a man utterly defenceless, without 
party or power, without treasure or bayonets, and, as my oppo- 
nents attested, totally deficient in capacity, was not only ridicu- 
lous, but took the form of malicious persecution. Had I even 
been again suspected of fomenting intrigues or concocting con-' 
spiracles, which, after all, could inspire no just alarm, there would 
not have been a shadow of excuse for this absurd combination of 
the European powers against a single individual barren of every 
resource. It was a painful sacrifice to be called on to give up 
the only home endeared to me by numberless ties of sentiment 
and convenience, and the whole proceeding was so irregular and 
puerile as naturally to renew those hostile passions which had 
well nigh expired in my breast. A formal demand, you may re- 
member, was made on the Canton of Berne for my expulsion ; but 
the high-spirited descendants of Tell resented with indignation 
this arrogant requisition of the Allies, and along with their refusal 
they made known their firm determination to protect the honor of 
their territory at all hazards, and against every odds. No notice 
was taken of this courageous menace, and troops were put in mo- 
tion on all sides to crush at a blov\^ the spirited resistance organiz- 
ing by the brave mountaineers. A deadly collision approached. 

" I could not stand by an idle spectator of a conflict where thou- 
sands of lives would have been vainly sacrificed,^ not defending any 
great principle, but my personal interest solely. I was deeply 
affected by the chivalrous protestations of fidelity that poured in 
upon me, and in a cause justifying such devotion, would have 
been proud indeed to have led such troops to battle. Against 
every form of remonstrance and persuasion, I sent word to the 
allied powers to arrest their march, as my determination was 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 79 

taken to leave Switzerland at once, and so remove the only cause 
of rupture. Giving immediate orders for the sale of my estate, I 
prepared to quit forever a land bound up with the happiest recol- 
lections of my life, and doubly dear from the noble spirit it had 
so lately manifested in spurning the insolent commands of trucu- 
lent power. Once more a fugitive, i directed my course to Lon- 
don, where, though grateful for the hospitality that welcomed mo, 
1 could not escape from the bitter reflections that crowded on my 
mind." 

" Your observations, Monseigneur, strike me as not more tem- 
perate than just. Had any proof existed of criminal projects 
entertained against the reigning family, a French army would 
hate been surely a sufficient force to march against Switzerland. 
But the object was clearly to embroil your Highness with the 
European powers, by representing you in the light of a revolu- 
tionary conspirator, v/hose residence on the continent was danger- 
ous to the security of arbitrary governments. It was just owe of 
those tortuous plots for which the King of the French seems to 
have an especial taste, for whilst his pretext was the safety of his 
dynasty, his real object was to make you appear in the eyes of 
the world as a thoughtless, harebrained pretender, ready to sacri- 
fice the welfare of communities for purely personal objects." 

" That was, doubtless, the game," returned the . Prince, " and 
it was right skilfully followed up by a shameful calumny, which, 
appearing first in the French journals devoted to the king, quick- 
ly spread through Europe, to the effect that I had solemnly 
pledged my word, after the affair of Strasburg, not again to en- 
gage in any further cabals against the House of Orleans. This 
was v/hoUy false, and has since been acknowledged so by the 
lawyers of the crown on my trial before the Court of Peers." 

" Expedients so paltry must impair, by. their exposure, any 
cause that stoops to adopt them," I replied, " and they could 
hardly fail to give to your political opposition the keen edge of 
personal resentment. I see exactly the state of mind, Monseig- 



80 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

neur, which rendered you again accessible to the tamperings of 
new conspirators. Besides, it must have struck you that no mat- 
ter how pacific your intentions, your life and pursuits would con- 
tinually be exposed to misrepresentation and annoyance, and I do 
not wonder at all at your giving way to that exasperation which 
was so natural under the circumstances. I am disposed to regard 
whatever means of retaliation you adopted more in the light of 
self-defence than as the wild outbreak of an aggressive ambition. 
The expedition to Boulogne must have had its origin in some such 
impulses as these." 

" No," responded the Prince, " I cannot subscribe to your in- 
ferences, shrewd as they are. That my feelings were aroused 
and smarting under a sense of injury, I am ready to admit, but 
they never could have driven me to the extent of engaging in a 
second invasion of France. This is why I made use of the re- 
mark which you quoted, a little while ago, from the mouth of a 
mutual friend. But a far deeper current of feeling soon after set 
in, which, spreading over France, reached me in exile, and bore 
me away as resistlessly as the rest. When the stirring an- 
nouncement rang in the ears of Frenchmen, that the venerated 
remains of Napoleon were on the sea, wafted by every breeze 
still nearer to his once idolized France, there was an upheaving 
of the popular heart, which would be as difficult for me to de- 
scribe, as for a foreigner to understand. The emotions which 
had so long lain dormant, that all supposed they had ceased to 
exist, suddenly awoke with an energy and warmth that attested 
the eternal fidelity of the French heart to the memory of the 
Emperor. It was an event highly favorable to the views of my 
partisans, and I was assailed daily by a torrent of entreaty and 
invocation that I was hardly in a condition of mind to resist. ' Is 
it fitting,' it was asked, in the passionate language of many of the 
old followers of the Emperor, ' is it fitting that the corpse of Na- 
poleon should be insulted by the presence of that Bourbon family 
which united with Europe in chaining him alive to the rock of 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 81 

St. Helena ; which vindictively condemned to death his greatest 
marshals ; and still pursues his nearest relatives into ignominious 
exile ? Was it becoming,' they persisted, ' that his revered ashes 
should be touched by the profane hands of his enemies, when as 
a duty and a right they should be delivered up to the pious care 
of his relatives, for those imposing ceremonies which the whole 
nation will stand by in solemn grief to witness V I was entreat- 
ed to save the country from such an indecent mockery, and con- 
jured to present myself at the head of the funeral procession on 
its way to the capital, when all France would rise to recognise 
my just claims to the place of chief mourner. ' The sacred 
ashes of our French Csesar,' they cried, ' are crossing the sea, 
and will not young Octavius come to convey them back to 
Rome V " 

" It was certainly a fearful risk," I remarked, " that the Or- 
leans dynasty incurred in yielding to the general wish for the 
restoration of the Emperor's remains. It was hoped, no doubt, 
that so popular an act would redound somewhat to its advantage, 
by identifying its name with this touching mark of national 
homage ; but the souvenirs it revived, fraught with so many glo- 
ries, was an ordeal likely to put its strength to a severe test. It 
requires no explanation, Monseigneur, to make it plain to every 
mind how your resolution was compelled to give way to a com- 
bination of circumstances, that seemed providentially prepared 
for some grand result. But, if I recollect, it was before the ar- 
rival of the Emperor's body that the landing at Boulogne took 
place." 

" Yes — some months before," replied the Prince, " for my re- 
solution could not be shaken on the point so vehemently urged of 
joining the funeral cortege on its route to Paris. ' No,' was my con- 
stant reply, ' I will not mar the afflicting solemnity of such a spec- 
tacle by the rude intrusion of my private griefs. My heart is torn 
at the cruelty and injustice which denies to me, his nephew, the 

mournful privilege of uniting with the French people in this last 

4* 



82 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPAUTE. 

act of reverence to their venerated Chief; but I will not outrage 
the sanctity of their sorrow, nor disturb the awful silence which 
will brood over France on that sad and memorable day by a vul- 
gar brawl, or perhaps a more tragic catastrophe.' Seeing that I 
was inflexible, further entreaty was abandoned, . but ■ remon- 
strances followed, and even accusations were levelled against me 
as the chief of a party whose interests were sacrificed by my 
neglect and indifference. The most convincing statements were 
laid before me of the almost infallible success which awaited me ; 
and really, there could be no question of the favorable disposi- 
tion of the people. At length, quite wearied out, I consented, 
and preparations were rapidly made for the attempt, which it was 
settled should take place in August, 1840. It so happened that 
every regiment upon whose devotion I could most entirely rely 
was scattered along the road from Dunkerqueto Paris." 

'' This was certainly an occurrence," I said, with a marked 
intonation, "which looked as if chance itself invited you to the 
enterprise ; but your Highness will permit me to indulge the sus- 
picion that some occult influence had more to do with this desira- 
ble arrangement than any accidental combination of favorable 
events." ' 

" You must excuse me," returned the Prince, " from replying 
to your suggestion ; but to satisfy you that I had good reason to 
count upon a satisfactory result, I will mention some facts and 
names which, out of regard to the interests of these parties, T 
must beg of you carefully to conceal." The Prince here entered 
into some relations, sustained by indubitable proofs, of the volun- 
tary offers of service which had been made him by personages of 
the highest rank and influence, and of the various forces put 
at his disposition. It was made clear enough, that if he could 
only succeed in effecting an entrance into France, he might, on 
reaching the first garrison town on the road from Boulogne to 
Paris, count on the most effectual support. It is with no small 
regret that I yield to the request of Prince Louis to suppress 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 83 

revelations that would infallibly settle the question so much 
mooted, of the want of due consideration alleged against this 
apparently harebrained attempt. The Prince has had to choose, 
for years past, between the reproaches and ridicule heaped on 
his failure by his enemies, or to vindicate himself at the cost of 
his dearest friends. He has nobly preferred the former, and the 
chances are, that the whole truth touching this ill-fated expedi- 
tion will never be known, or not till every actor therein has 
passed beyond the penalties of any earthly tribunal.* 

It is natural that the world, in every case, should form its 
opinions upon the facts known, and all that has ever reached the 
public eye of the attempt at Boulogne is the sudden appearance 
of an unarmed steamer off its harbor, and the disembarkation 
therefronr of Prince Louis and his staff. The invasion of France 
by such a force is absurd enough ; nay, it is so absurd, that the 
wonder is how any person who reflected twice could place any 
further- credit Jn the story. Were it possible to detail the parti- 
culars of this well-constructed and wide-spreading plot ; to show 
how precise and complete were all the preparations made ; the 
scrupulous pains taken to render defeat impossible ; above all, to 
state the vast amount of military force secured to its execution ; 
then the marvel would be, that success the most triumphant did 
not attend it. But how often it occurs that Providence, by the 

* After leaving Ham, I felt greatly anxious to be allowed to mention a 
distinguished person whose recent death, occasioned in no slight degree by his 
chagrin in consequence of these painful events, would, I thought, sanction the 
veil being removed from his name. I saw all the advantage that would 
accrue to the Prince from its being known that an individual so high in 
command was one of his warmest partisans, and I wrote to him for this 
privilege, but his answer was decisive, " Mais je desire autant" were his 
words, " que meme les morts ne seraiejit pas indiquks, car cela aurait des in- 
convenients pour ceux qui vivent." I desire as much that even the dead 
be not indicated, for that would be attended with serious disadvantage to the 
survivors. Alluding in this case to the sons of the deceased, who had not 
been compromised in the affair of Boulogne. 



84 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

simplest obstacle, sets at naught the most elaborate designs of 
man ; and thus it was with this carefully-designed fabric of 
conspiracy. A breath shook, and overthrew it. Its history is 
brief. 



NAPOLEON LOXJIS BONAPARTE. 85 



VIII. 



There were but two companies of infantry quartered at Bou- 
logne, and it was soon ascertained that they would zealously join 
the Prince. A captain, however, of one of these companies, who 
had received some favors from the king, adhered to his alle- 
giance, and obstinately refused all the advances made to him. 
It was then decided to have him removed to some other point, 
and a short delay ensued in order to accomplish this. Orders 
were finally issued, transferring him to another command, and 
the day for his departure named. Some accident prevented his 
going, and we shall see what this had to do with the result. On 
the 6th of August, 1840, the day following the supposed departure 
of the loyal captain, the Prince landed with his suite at sunrise, 
just below the town, and repaired instantly to the barracks. His 
arrival was no sooner announced than every soldier rushed into 
the court-yard, giving the wildest expression to his enthusiasm. 
They mounted the Prince on their shoulders, and bore him about 
in triumph. Anxious to lose not a moment in escaping from 
Boulogne on his road to St. Omer, where the garrison awaited 
him, he endeavored to establish order, and addressing a few stir- 
ring words to the troops, he bade them follow him. Brandishing 
their arms, and uttering the most passionate cries of devotion, 
they obeyed his summons, and dashed towards the portal of the 
barracks. Here the whole movement was checked by the unex- 
pected apparition of the afore-mentioned officer, who had hastened 
to the barracks on hearing of the event. His soldiers quailed at 



86 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

sight of him, and, drawing his sword, he began a spirited ha- 
rangue. The moment was critical in the extreme. Every 
minute's delay was attended with imminent danger. The parti- 
sans of the government were actively at work assembling the 
National Guard, which the small force on the side of the sedition 
was in no wise adequate to meet. Advancing impetuously 
towards the sole obstacle in his path, the Prince addressed the 
contumacious captain in strong terms of remonstrance ; words 
ensued, and in the heat of the moment the Prince drew a pistol 
and fired at him. The shot, missing its object, unhappily took 
effect on a poor soldier, who was at the very moment shouting 
" Vive Napoleon III. !" 

This painful incident distressed the Prince, and threw a damper 
over the spirits of all. A report, too, was at that instant brought 
him, which afterwards turned out incorrect, that one of his prin- 
cipal officers had abandoned his cause, and gone over to the 
king. Growing desperate with his situation, he made an ener- 
getic effort to dissipate the confusion prevailing, and rally the 
drooping courage of his troops. Their resolution returned, and 
still adhered to by the greater part, he made his way to the gates 
of the town. To his utter discomfiture, he found them closed ; 
and turning round, he saw himself, and a handful of men, hem- 
med in on every side by the National Guard, which, as yet, had 
no distinct idea whom or what they were contending with. An 
immediate surrender would have been, perhaps, the most prudent 
thing under the circumstances, but such was not the mood of the 
Prince. Nobly supported by the forlorn hope which still clung 
to him, he charged with such impetuosity on the forces in his 
front as to scatter them in every direction. Without any pur- 
pose, and bereft of every chance of success, the idea occurred to 
him to make for the column erected near the town to the Impe- 
rial army, and cutting his way through all opposition, he succeeded 
in reaching it. Here turning round he exclaimed to his devoted 
followers : " It is useless now to explain my projects — my cause 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 87 

and yours is lost — there is nothing left but to die ;" — and he per- 
sisted in his mad resolution to fight till some well-directed ball 
should save him the pain of surviving his defeat. In defiance of 
his struggles and menaces, his friends seized him in their arms, 
and carried him off to the beach, where a small boat was lying 
in wait to carry them to the steamer, which still lingered in the 
offing. They reached the shore in safety, and the Prince was 
entreated to shelter himself in the bottom of the skiff. They 
pushed off, and made desperate efforts to reach the steamer, little 
dreaming that it had already, with all its treasures, fallen into the 
hands of the Government. They were but a few rods from the 
shore when the National Guard overtook them, and, though see- 
ing them unarmed and entirely exposed, opened a galling fire 
direct upon them. What might have been the final result, God 
only knows, but a touching incident here ensued, which gave a 
new turn to the melancholy affair,- and brought it to a quick and 
tragic consummation. A brave old soldier. Col. Mesonan, ar- 
rived after the boat had left, and being hotly pursued, threw 
himself into the surf, and made great exertions to overtake his 
friends. He had swum a considerable distance amid a shower of 
fire, and nearly reached them, when his strength began to fail, 
and he was about to sink. Efforts were made to rescue him, but 
he cried out, " push on — save the Prince, and leave me to my 
fate." Escaping from the grasp of his friends, who were endea- 
voring to keep him out of danger, the Prince, wholly regardless 
of the risk, laid hold of his faithful old partisan, and sought to 
drag him in. In the attempt the bog,t was upset, iand the whole 
party were precipitated into the water. This painful event, 
instead of awakening the humanity^ of the cowardly wretches on 
the shore, who disgraced the uniform they wore, only seemed to 
renew their zeal. They fired volley after volley on the unfortu- 
nate band, whose numbers were rapidly diminished. Some were 
shot, others drowned; but the Prince succeeded in reaching the 
shore, when he stood unshrinkingly up, folded his arms, and 



88 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

facing his enemy, calmly awaited his death-blow. Two of his 
friends, Count Dunin and Mons. Faure, faithful to the last, were 
shot dead at his side. Col. Voisin rushed forward to protect him, 
and received several balls in different parts of his body. M. 
Galveni, a Pole, in attempting the same thing, fell grievously 
wounded. The Prince himself was struck by two balls in the 
arm and in the leg, but the injuries were not serious. When, 
at length, the National Guard of loyal Boulogne saw that nearly 
every man was down, and that the Prince, perfectly unarmed, 
was standing a tranquil target for their murderous aim, they 
plucked up resolution enough to approach and seize him. The 
ensuing day he was conveyed to Paris, and all along the road 
received the warmest marks of sympathy and regret. In every 
garrison town the soldiers collected in groups about his carriage, 
and in their varied expressions of grief and anger might be traced 
the strength of their attachment, and the bitterness of their disap- 
pointment. 

In relating these moving events, nothing could exceed the 
simplicity of the language and manner of Prince Louis. His 
intonation occasionally changed, and his expressive countenance 
darkened at times, as he alluded in turn to the different friends 
who had perished around him. But, in general, his air was that 
of a man inured to misfortune ; calm under the stroke, — as yet 
neither crushed by its weight, nor defiant of its force. 

" If you had succeeded. Prince," I asked, at the close of his 
recital, " in reaching Paris in triumph, you would have naturally 
assumed the crown, as the just recompense of your exertions 
and risks V 

" By no means," he answered ; " my first act would simply 
have been to convoke a Congress of the nation, and then to have 
deposed all authority in their hands. But you must be fatigued 
with this long sitting, so let us take a turn on the ramparts." 

The Prince then rose, and led the way to a portion of the 
ramparts inclosed between two towers, at the southern extremity 



J 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 89 

of the citadel, where a promenade of some fifty yards in length, 
on a level with the walls, had been prepared for exercise, and 
which was accessible by a winding path of easy ascent. The 
view of the surrounding country from the top was commanding ; 
but as my eye wandered over the vast expanse of table land, 
which spread out to the skirts of the horizon, it failed to encounter 
a single object of interest or of beauty. All was flat, mo- 
notonous, and cheerless. I never remembered a landscape so 
dreary and repulsive. Even the dull town of Ham, which might 
have served as a diversion to the prospect, was out of view from 
the spot purposely assigned to the Prince ; and there was nothing 
to relieve the general sterility without, but the old decaying pile 
of buildings within the fortress. For the greater part of the year, 
in this inhospitable climate, the sky is clouded and menacing, and 
at this moment the gloom of surrounding objects was enhanced 
by the humid air and cold shade which dwelt on all around. It 
was really a relief to turn from this chilly survey, and watch the 
gambols and sportive pranks of a pet dog who accompanied us, 
and who did his best to enliven our walk. The prince pointed 
with some satisfaction to a meagre collection of flowers and plants, 
which had been arranged with taste along the sides of the 
acclivity we had just mounted, and which he dignified with the 
sounding title of " his garden," adding, how much pains and time 
he had given to their cultivation.* Certainly no other proof was 
wanting of the distressing inactivity of his prison-life. 

* The recollection of this incident was brought to my mind a year after- 
wards, by reading a passage in General Montholon's book, describing the 
residence of Napoleon at St. Helena. It is as follows : " A shelter against 
the trade winds, and a little shade, were the two incessant wants that could 
serve to render our habitation of Longwood in the least comfortable. The 
Emperor thought he might create both in his small gardens. He set to work 
at once, giving us all an example to imitate. And it was certainly a picture 
worth the copying by the greatest artist, to represent this conqueror of so 
many kingdoms, who had dictated laws to so many sovereigns, thus at the 



90 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

" It may be, Monseigneur," I observed, " that fresh as I am 
from the world without, and directly from the gay seductions of 
the capital, I feel more acutely the leaden monotony which 
seems to envelope like a mantle every object about me. To you 
the weariness of such a seclusion may have worn off in the five 
wretched years you have passed hi this horrible place ; but with 
my present sensations, I think I should prefer instant death to the 
cruel sentence which has condemned you to linger here for life." 

" Oh, no," he replied in desponding tones, " I did not feel it so 
much at first. The excitement and the novelty diverted, and 
sustained me for a long while ; then I took refuge in my books, 
and planned a history of artillery, and other works which again 
engaged my mind, and propped up my spirits. But at length my 
resources were all exhausted, and the mental occupations which 
formerly were my solace, are now my greatest misery. My 
daily want is to escape from myself; to arrest the corroding 
action of the mind which begins to undermine my health ; but 
the only means left for such an end, as the occasional admission 
of friends, is denied me. Study and solitude make sad inroads 
on body and mind, and how much longer I shall succeed in 
resistino; their ravag-es time alone can tell." 

CD O 

break of day, a epade in his hand, a large straw hat on his head, slippers of 
red morocco on his feet, directing our labors ; and those, which was still more 
droll, of the numerous Chinese gardeners belonging to the establishment." 
The Genera,! goes on to give an elaborate description of the marvels accom- 
plished ; the planting of trees ; the elevation of banks of turf ; the laying of 
pipes and the creation of jets d'eau, &c. ; which he ends by saying, " All 
these vv^orks- cost the Emperor a great deal of money, but they contributed to 
prolong his sad existence, by diverting hirn for some moments at least from 
his unhappy position." It is, indeed, singular, the effect of situation on all 
minds ; when we behold, how strange the coincidence. Napoleon and his 
nephew both seeking to escape the lassitudes of imprisonment by occupations 
the most foreign to natures energetic and active like theirs. Each one may 
test for himself on a sea voyage, the shrivelling effect on the mind of a want 
of occupation. Amusement, then, is sought in trifles, that would shock, at 
another time, by their puerility. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 91 

There was that in the tone of the Prince and the reality of his 
complaints that went to my heart. I vividly comprehended how 
an intellect like his, accustomed to grapple with the loftiest 
subjects, and habituated to severe thought, must yearn at times 
for diversion and rest. It was. not a case where consolation 
could be attempted, and I looked about for some occasion to change 
the subject. My glance fell for the first time on a two story 
brick building, not far from, and overlooking our promenade. 
Around the windows on the inside were assembled groups of 
soldiers, crowding upon one another, and peering through the 
glass with great curiosity. I suppose the unusual sight of a 
stranger at the side of the Prince had attracted their attention. 

"It just occurs to me, Monseigneur," I remarked, "that you 
must find great entertainment in chatting with the soldiers. 
Their devotion to yourself is well known, and your influence 
would lend great weight to such opinions as you might think fit 
to inculcate." 

" Yes," answered the Prince, " it would be an agreeable 
pastime to converse with those intelligent men, but the govern- 
ment has thought proper to forbid me such a privilege. No 
officer or soldier is allowed to speak to or salute me ; and those 
two fellows yonder" — pointing to a couple of men in plain clothes 
who were walking up and down at a short distance — 

"I have remarked them," I said, interrupthig him, " for some 
time, and been struck with the steadiness their gaze was directed 
this way, without divining the object." 

" Well, their especial business," he continued, " is to keep me 
constantly in sight when I am out, as now, walking on the 
ramparts, to see that no one approaches or addresses me. If 
their vigilance was entirely confined to me it would be only a 
part of my penalty, but I am truly annoyed that the soldiers 
should suffer great inconvenience in their barracks by a paltry 
jealousy on the part of the government. It was for some time 
customary, when I made my appearance in the afternoon on the 



92 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

ramparts, for the warm-hearted fellows, when they cauglit sight 
of me, to raise their windows, and greet me with cheers. They 
not unfrequently sang patriotic airs, and gave expression to their 
feelings in honor of the Emperor. Nothing could be more natural 
or harmless than this simple enthusiasm ; but the government at 
length took offence, and ordered the windows of the barracks that 
you see there, fronting my walk, to be nailed down. The air 
here is none of the best," he added, smiling, " and the minister 
thought doubtless it would be no great deprivation to cut it off, 
the more so that it was infected with my treasonable presence." 

" It was certainly a bungling manoeuvre nevertheless," I 
returned, " for it will have the necessary effect to increase the 
evil they sought to check. Instead of offending the soldiers, it 
would have been wiser to remove your walk. I can find no 
fault, however," I continued, looking round, " with their want of 
excessive precautions against an escape or rescue ; for besides 
drawbridges and double ditches, I see the whole fortress is 
surrounded by numerous corps de gardes, which, aided by the 
many sentinels pacing the walls, render any such attempt hope- 
less, unless, as I have heard, that the very regiments on duty 
have more than once offered to give you liberty." 

" However that may be," he replied, " I am unwilling to accept 
any irregular means to obtain my freedom, ardently as I yearn 
for it, but still less to subscribe to the degrading terms, as I 
consider them, occasionally offered me by the king. I know full 
well that I run the risk of malevolent misrepresentation by 
refusing this ostensible generosity ; but in ideality 1 have no 
alternative." 

" How like the Jesuitical policy of this reign," I observed, " is 
this adroit dealing with your Highness. Propositions are made to 
you coupled with restrictions or conditions such as to make them 
impossible, and then your rejection is set down to obstinacy or 
design. I cannot in justice withhold from the government my 
free admission that a more ingenious system of moral and 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 93 

physical persecution than theirs could not well be devised without 
running the risk of awakening public opinion." 

" At all events," said the Prince, " my claims are well founded 
to a treatment somewhat less harsh from the Orleans family : for 
it was to the zealous and persevering efforts of my mother that an 
income of 200,000f was obtained from the bounty of the Emperor 
for their support, together with the precious privilege of remaining 
in France,* whereas I am not allowed the ordinary boon of living 
in peace in a foreign country. I know it is childish to complain : 
I have fallen into the hands of the Philistines, and I must needs 
bear the rigors of my lot. Du resie, I have become hardened by 
constant exposure to annoyance and reiterated calamities. The 
petty vexations set for me here are only a renewal of traps and 
snares practised on me elsewhere, until disloyalty, official or 
personal, has ceased to surprise or incense me longer. With the 
callousness I have acquired the caution of experience, and whilst 
my interest in unravelling roguery is diminished, my chances of 
escaping its plots are greatly increased. But here," he said 
abruptly, as if anxious to break off an unpleasant train of thought, 
"is an object of great curiosity" — and we stopped in front of a 
huge tower which raised its ponderous head over the lower end 
of the promenade we had been traversing the while. It was 
indeed in every way interesting, both from its singular dimen- 
sions and its romantic history. It was built in 1460 by the Count 

* In confirmation of this remark, nothing further is necessary than to quote 
from a letter, which I have raked up in search of the facts, written to Queen 
Hortense, mother of Prince Louis, by the Dowager Duchess of Orleans, 
mother of Louis Phihppe. " Madame," she says, " you have kindly offered 
your mediation with his majesty the Emperor to obtain his authorization to 
remain in France, together with a sufficient sum to subsist on, I know what 
your majesty has already done in my behalf, and that it is to your interest 
with the emperor that I owe the 200,000f. he has been so good as to accord 
me. ****** In conclusion, believe, madame, that my gratitude will 
always equal the sentiments of regard, the expression of which I beg you now 
to receive. Louise Marie Adelaide d' Orleans Bourbon." 



94 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

St. Pol, Constable of France in the reign of Louis XI. This 
powerful feudal lord was but on indifferent terms with his wily- 
sovereign, and fearful that matters might go the length of an open 
breach, he bethought him of building this gigantic tower of 100 
feet in height, the same in diameter, with walls of thirty feet in 
thickness, in whose capacious sides were constructed various 
chambers. A wide ditch formerly surrounded it, adding to its 
security. Proud of his chef d'oe.uvre, he engraved on its massive 
portal the words still legible, mon mieux (my best), and confidently 
relied on its strength to protect him in case of need against the 
worst assaults of his formidable enemy. He calculated without 
his host, poor fellow, and with a strange blindness to the character 
of his foe. The Louis of that day was notorious for his exceeding 
craftiness, and, of choice, preferred always a trick to simpler 
means. Instead of bringing his terrible artillery to bear on the 
impregnable sides of mon mieux, which would have " laughed a 
siege to scorn," he expressed in dissembling language his admira- 
tion of its noble masonry, and not long after, in affectionate terms, 
invited its enterprising projector to Paris, where the confiding St. 
Pol betook himself, little dreaming that the structure he had 
erected to preserve his life would only serve as a monument to 
commemorate his death. He was seized, imprisoned, and 
beheaded, on reaching the court of his treacherous master. 
These tragic incidents deepened the interest with which I 
regarded this noble relic of centuries, still in perfect preservation, 
and I stood for some moments contemplating it in silence. The 
Prince put my reveries to flight by turning round suddenly with 
the remark, " Ah, there is the Count Montholon. Come along 
with me and I will present you to him." I followed him with 
great readiness down the terrace to a lower walk, where I 
observed, taking pretty vigorous exercise, a tall and military- 
looking man, who seemed unconscious of our approach until 
within a few steps of him, when he halted, and saluted the Prince 
with marked respect. He received me with great cordiality, and 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 95 

a short conversation ensued, but of generalities too vague to 
repeat. He complained greatly of his health, and the unfavor- 
able moisture of the climate, which racked his bones with 
rheumatism. He was out to profit by the rare good fortune of a 
fitful sunshine, which disappeared as he spoke ; and as the day 
was waning, I cut short my interview, that I might not I'ob him 
of the little time left. I contemplated him as we spoke with great 
interest. He was well-advanced in years, and evidently suffering 
from his long imprisonment, but yet bore about him the marks of 
a good constitution. His eye was still bright and piercing ; his 
movements vigorous and decided ; his utterance was rapid, and 
even in small, things traces of his quick and intelligent mind 
could be discerned. His- complexion, of a deep bronze, was in 
singular contrast to the snowy whiteness of his hair, both speaking 
eloquently of his long and arduous military service. Bidding 
him adieu with manifestations of regard I strove not to conceal, I 
began remarking to the Prince, as we mounted to our airy 
platform, on the eventful features of his extraordinary life. 
" Born," I said, " to an ancient title and great expectations, he 
found himself, in youth, a scion and defender of that aged aristo- 
cracy which, steeped in abuses, and covered with obloquy, still 
bore proudly and boldly up against the coming avalanche. 
A soldier of the republic, he adopted his new faith with loyalty, 
and fought under the banner of the people with the same zeal 
that he would have defended from hereditary duty that of their 
former masters. Passing into the service of the Emperor your 
uncle, none served him with such devotion, or clung with such 
despairing fidelity to his changed and broken fortunes. And 
now, Prince," I added, " how singular and how affecting that, 
surviving by long years -his tedious and dreary captivity in that 
barren isle, for ever memorable, which he never quitted till with 
his own hands he closed those eagle eyes which once had 
scorched the world in their fiery gaze ; yes, how strange and 
inexpressibly touching, that he should now, find another St. Helena 



96 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

but twenty leagues from Paris, where his old age is wasting away 
in useless but unswerving fidelity to the destinies of that house he 
has never forsaken.* 

The Prince listened in good-natured silence to this ebullition of 
feeling which involuntarily escaped my lips. As we turned to 
resume our walk, my mind still busy with the vicissitudes of life, 
what should I espy, to my surprise, on the opposite bank of the 
moat running round the citadel, but the indomitable Baptiste, who, 
in spite of corps de gardes and other risks, had contrived to 
work his way round to an excellent position for a full and unin- 
terrupted view of the immediate object of his idolatry ! I pointed 
him out, and gave the Prince a lively sketch of his character ; 
relating the incidents of the morning ; his enthusiasm at the first 
glance of his Highness on the ramparts ; his entreaty to follow 
me, and his luckless rencontre with the commandant ; all of which 
greatly amused my attentive auditor, who every now and then 
directed his glance towards Baptiste. This eccentric, but simple- 
hearted fellow there stood the while, mute and transfixed, his re- 
gard intently dwelling on us, totally unconscious of my entertain- 
ing an imperial ear with a subject so insignificant as his valetship, 
when, of a sudden, from a kindly impulse, the Prince touched his 
military cap, and saluted him. Baptiste turned round with re- 
spectful gravity in search of the invisible personage likely to be 

* In an able but biassed review of Count Montholon's History of the St, 
Helena Captivity, which appeared in the July No. of Blackwood's Magazine, 
1846, some interesting remarks are made concerning his character and career, 
that I cannot forbear extracting in part. Such testimony, from enemies so 
decided in their hostility as the English, is honorable in the highest degree to 
the object of this reluctant homage. " Of Count Montholon," says the reviewer, 
" it must be acknowledged that he was unstained either by the vices or the 
violences which scandalized Europe so frequently in the leaders of the French 
armies. He appears at all times to have been a man of honorable habits, as 
he certainly is of striking inteUigence." It must be admitted that it is a 
guarantee the more for the motives which inspired the expedition to Boulogne, 
that such a man should have yielded to their influence. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 97 

the object of such an honor, and that he supposed somewhere in 
his neighborhood. This was excessively funny, and the Prince, 
full of mirth, now raised his cap and bowed with still more mean- 
ing directly at him. I made a gesture to the eifect that he was 
its recipient. The effect was electrical. Baptiste gave a start 
that I thought would carry him into the ditch. Off went his hat, 
open flew his mouth, and " Vive VEmpereur'^ was trembling on 
his lips, when the rattle of a musket, just shouldered by a senti- 
nel in his vicinity, who now began to manifest an officious inte- 
rest in his manoeuvres, happily struck his ear, and arrested in 
time his explosive enthusiasm, but threw him into a predicament 
between his safety and his gratitude, which was in the highest 
degree comical to behold. The orders of the" government were 
peremptory to arrest, and shoot, if necessary, all persons loitering 
about the fortress, and uttering seditious cries. Baptiste had the 
keenest view of the consequences of proceeding a tithe further in 
his demonstrations, and there he stuck fast in the middle of his 
loyalty, describing circles in the air with his upraised hat, and 
dividing his troubled gaze between his self-elected sovereign on 
the ramparts, and the vigilant sentinel of the detested Louis Phi- 
lippe on his left, who kept measuring him steadily from head to 
foot, as though picking out the exact spot he would send a ball 
through, on the slightest provocation. In the teeth of calumny, 
Baptiste was a living proof, that, in spite of his fiery impulses, a 
Frenchman can be prudent in critical circumstances ; for, after a 
series of expressive pantomimic exhibitions, wherein he sought to 
display the intensity of his devotion, enlivened all the time with 
sundry additional gyrations of his hat, that were given with such 
vigorous good-will as occasionally to turn him completely round on 
his axis, he obeyed discreetly the gruff order of the guard, and 
moved slowly, reluctantly, and quietly off. His hat was the last 
speck that darkened the horizon, as he receded into distance, and 
it was still going round in flourishing adulation. 



98 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPAHTE. 



1 J^ < 



" Well, it is not to be wondered at, Monseigneur," I remarked, 
as we continued our walk, " that the French should give them- 
selves up to such boundless infatuation for the memory of the 
Emperor, but he errs egregiously who attributes its source solely 
to admiration of his military exploits. It has a deeper foundation 
in the solid benefits he conferred on France, and the innumerable 
blessings his ascendency strewed over all Europe. Everywhere 
on the Continent the popular heart must rebound at mention of his 
name, for from his time date whatever mitigation of wrongs, what- 
ever relief from crushing abuses, the unhappy people of Europe 
have obtained. In every town and village of the Continent I have 
met traces of his passage in political, moral, and physical ameli- 
orations, that else might have slumbered for years in the bosom of 
the future. The din of his battles had hardly ceased before the 
conquered state had reason to rejoice in her defeat. As rapid in 
his civil movements as in his military manoeuvres, decree after 
decree was issued, law after law promulgated with the celerity of 
imperial charges, to encourage agriculture, to extend commerce, 
to establish manufactures, and to foster the arts. The abuses of 
tyranny were swept away with a wave of his hand ; atrocious 
cruelties, under a religious mask, were trampled under foot. 
Above all, popular rights were created and political privileges 
bestowed, that on their return the old monarchies dared not openly 
extinguish, however secretly they sought to nullify them. In a 
material point of view, it is impossible to estimate the bounties 
scattered, indiscriminately, over all countries by the sagacious and 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 99 

benevolent policy of Napoleon. New roads, bridges, and public 
edifices in every part of Europe survive as so many monuments 
of his universal energy, though I have often smiled at the paltry 
jealousy which erased the name of the founder to substitute that 
of his petty successor. Brilliant as was the military career of 
the Emperor, and astounding as the results, it is his smallest claim 
to the respect and gratitude of posterity." 

" You can hardly imagine," returned the Prince, " to what de- 
gree I am affected by your words. The policy of his enemies 
has been for so many years directed to the effort of traducing his 
character and misrepresenting all his acts, that the greater part of 
the intelligent world, however impartial, have been led to form 
the most unjust views, and to adopt the most erroneous conclu- 
sions. Reckless ambition has been ascribed to him as his only 
trait, and a despotic will as his peculiar vice. No honest survey 
is made of his position ; no allowance conceded to its necessities ; 
no explanation advanced of the principles which controlled him ; 
no homage to the results which followed his labors. But the rea- 
son for this is so evident, that his family cannot wonder, deeply as 
they repine, over these gross misrepresentations. The. abettors of 
despotism cannot praise him without pronouncing their own con- 
demnation, and giving a flagrant contradiction to all their acts and 
words. That Napoleon was ambitious and despotic it would be 
absurd to deny; but these were the very qualities that circum- 
stances called for, and the interests he represented were identified 
with their fullest exercise. By the force of his will, what won- 
ders he effected for France ! and granting him no other motive 
than ambition, what blessings its indulgence proved for the down- 
trodden masses of Europe ! But, the truth is, Napoleon's origin 
was revolutionary, his system reformatory, and the successful 
close of his career would have been damnatory to every dynasty 
in Europe. The truth of the principles he was sent to champion 
was the grave of the arbitrary powers. This was seen and felt 
on both sides ; and hence the irreconcilable antipathy, the eternal 



100 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

hostility, which marked the whole of his reign. I will not deny 
that he was, doubtless, pleased to display his military skill at the 
expense of the enemies of France and of human freedom ; but 
that he knew the ultimate consequence of contending against 
united Europe must be his downfall, there are proofs enough to 
show. He was well aware that the most enduring monument to 
his fame could only be founded in peace, and that nothing was so 
near his heart, after every conquest, as the means to secure and 
perpetuate it." 

" Your statement. Prince," I observed, " is certainly confirmed 
by his anxious appeals to the English Government, in 1800. 
* Is the war never to cease?' he asked; 'Must everything be 
sacrificed to vain ideas of grandeur ? Does not England feel, like 
France, that peace is the first of a nation's wants, as it is the first 
of her glories.' These fruitless efforts to put an end to hostili- 
ties were renewed, if I remember, at three different periods after- 
wards.* But no, as you have strikingly shown, it was the settled 
policy of the old system to make no terms with him ; and England, 
as the most interested in abuse, led the way which she strewed 
over with her gold. Coalition after coalition -was made; alliance 
after alliance was formed ; and neither defeat nor persuasion could 
calm the deadly elements of strife which kept the world so many 
years in bloody commotion. But which of the parties, I ask, is 
responsible for these scenes of devastation and slaughter ? Who, 
before man and God, should stand arraigned for such high and 
mighty misdemeanors ? He, who fought for the regeneration of 
mankind and the progress of civilization ; or they who struggled 
only for their dynastic privileges, and the maintenance of the cor- 
ruptions which had so long glutted their coffers? It matters no- 
thing to my speculations whether the motives of Napoleon were 
sincerely democratic or entirely selfish. In either case he was 
the instrument of Providence for the promotion of the popular wel- 
fare. You see, Prince, I take a democratic view of these great 

* 1805, '8, '12. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. lOl 

events, and, with all my sympathies on the side of the people, in 
their gigantic struggle with the myrmidons of tyranny, I am likely 
to draw inferences and reach conclusions respecting the wars and 
policy of Napoleon widely different from those inculcated by the 
venal scribes who have only, as yet, for the most part, treated this 
subject." 

" I should be surprised," he replied, " if an American could 
take any other view ; for, removed from the class of prejudices 
which prevail here, nor deceived, I trust, by the ingenious sophis- 
tries which have so long disguised the truth, your country is in a 
situation to see clearly and judge impartially of men and their 
deeds in this. It is wise for your own sakes, as it is needful for 
humanity, whose interest it is your mission to defend, that the 
contest waging here between the people and their stolid oppressors 
should be rightly understood. To cite another proof that Napo- 
leon knew his age, his position, and the purposes he was destined 
to achieve,* I am proud to point to his energetic efforts in behalf 

* In connexion with the above remark, I am tempted to quote a striking 
passage from an article on French afTairs, which appeared a couple of years 
since in an Enghsh journal, which, with that subtlety of tact peculiarly 
EngUsh, and which, to give it the right name, is audacious hypocrisy, cun- 
ningly attributes the disasters which befeU the continental governments to their 
previous vices — ergo, their own government must be guiltless," since it escaped 
its deserts. There is, however, an elevation and solemnity in the following 
reflections, that I am disposed to treat with respect, but the accusations 
against the iniquities of other governments are no apology for their own. 
" The first French Revolution," says the writer, " was the palpable work of 
Providence, for the punishment of a long career of guilt, consummated by an 
unparalleled act of perfidy, the partition of Poland. The passions of men 
were made the means of punishing the vices of governments. When the cup 
was full. Napoleon was sent to force it upon the startled lips of Prussia, 
Austria, and Russia. The three conspirators were cmshed in bloody 
encoimters — the capitals of the three were captured — the provinces of the 
three were plundered — and the mihtary pride of the three was humiliated 
by contemptuous and bitter conditions of peace. But when the destined work 
was done, the means were required no more. When the victims were broken 



102 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

of popular instruction. What were his memorable words in 
announcing his scheme to France ? They are his best vindica- 
tion now from the mass of aspersions cast on his memory, and 
his surest avenger in the future. ' It is only those who mean to 
deceive the people,' he declared, ' and govern them to their 
own advantage, who can desire to keep them in ignorance ; for 
the more the people are enlightened, the more will they be con- 
vinced of the necessity of laws and the wisdom of defending 
them ; and the more tranquil, happy, and prosperous will society 
be.' Would Napoleon have ever uttered such opinions — indeed, 
could his mind ever have engendered them, if he had not per- 
ceived the day coming when they must be carried into effect ? 
Nor was he the man, vainly, childishly to struggle, like some 
who have succeeded him, with the exigencies of the epoch. He 
knew the pregnant nature of the seed he was sowing, and that 
its spreading root3 would defy the efforts of man to eradicate 
them. The schools and colleges he reared in every part of 
France, were so many fortresses against the duration of a 
despotic government ; and would he have been so short-sighted 
as to create them, were he not prepared to resign the dictatorship 
that anarchy and invasion had forced on him ? What would 
have been the language of the first generation of his scholars ? — 
' Sire, you have prepared us to exercise sovereign power; we 
perfectly understand the new duties that will devolve on us, and 
are now ready to undertake them.' He would have beheld an 
entire nation kneeling in gratitude round his throne, rescued 
from barbaric ignorance, elevated to a level with their destiny, 
and fit to accomplish their high mission. Smiling benignantly 
on such a spectacle, how else could he address them than by 
acknowledging his own work. ' My children,' he would have 
replied, ' absolute authority was mine ; it was your gift, and I 

on the wheel, the wheel and the executioner were alike hurried from the 
sight of man. The empire of France was extinguished by the same sovereign 
law which had permitted its existence." 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 103 

have employed it for your good and the glory of France, and not 
in devising means to retain it. I have founded institutions, 
established codes, and created laws which supersede my will, 
and make all amenable to legal forms and legitimate restraints. 
I have sought to enlighten you as to your true interests, and to raise 
you to a clear sense of your own value. My task is accom- 
plished — despotic power is no more possible in France. I sur- 
render my trust, and if your confidence in myself and family- 
remain undiminished, it is for you to choose us, or others, as 
delegates of your sovereign will.' It is hardly necessary to 
quote the words of the Emperor at St. Helena to show this was 
the final glory he coveted, the guiltless fame after which he 
aspired. The acts I am recalling attest it sufficiently."* 

* " I had acceded, in a spirit of candor, to the consequences of the addi- 
tional act. I was aware of the exigencies of the new situation in which I found 
myself, seated again upon the throne ; of this I gave proof when I said to 
Benjamin Constant : 

" The nation has been twelve years at rest from all poUtical agitation, and, 
for one year, has been resting from war ; this double rest makes her long 
again for activity. She wants, or deems she wants liberty, a rostrum, assem- 
blies. She has not always wanted them ; she was weary of them, when she 
threw herself at my feet to lift me upon the imperial shield. You must 
remember it yourself, since you attempted to oppose my accession to the 
throne. Where was your support, your strength 1 Nowhere. I have taken 
less authority than I was invited to take. Recollect the time when I said to 
the Council of State, ' you think, perhaps, that it is power that I want : 
power ! I have more than I require. Who stands up against me in France 
— ^in Europe, even? But I wish to lay the foundations of a social edifice. 
Look around you, what is there 1 On one side, the Vendeans, apparently 
reconciled to submission ; self-exiles, whom I have recalled ; priests, to whom 
I restored their altars, and who hate me after all, while accepting my 
bounty. On the other side, revolutionists split up into endless divisions, 
betraying, accusing each other, and over all that a freed nation, that no longer 
knows whom to heed, and demands repose, with the privilege of no longer 
thinking of anything by itself. And you think that this is a society in good 
condition ! With the young, I will form a real society, animated by the 



104 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

" It is a truthful picture you have drawn, Monseigneur," I 
answered, " and no one, not consumed by prejudice, or pledged 

wholesome ideas of the age, sentiments of trae patriotism, and which, without 
any of the false ideas of the past, the hatreds of the present, shall be worthy 
of succeeding us, and will be competent to carry out the true idea of those 
who made the revolution. The constitution of the year XIII., the civil code, 
are my works. The Bourbons have striven to stifle my glory beneath the 
grasp of liberty ; by the weakness of their administration, and likewise by 
the absurd pretensions of those who surround them, they have re-awakened 
some of the passions of 1789. The taste of constitutions, of speech-making, 
seems to be returning ; do not mistake, however ; it is neither called for nor 
required by the people. The popular masses only require one thing : myself, 
to rid them of the Bourbons and their feudal retainers ; have you not seen 
them, the whole popular array, following in crowds after me, calling, seeking, 
and greeting me with their acclamations from Cannes to the Tuileries 1 I am 
not only the Emperor of the soldiery, as the liberal gentry pretends ; I am 
that of the peasants, the plebeians of France, Therefore, in spite of the 
flagrant recollection of my reverses, you have seen the people returning in a 
mass towards me, because there exists a sympathy between us. It was not 
so with the privileged classes. The old nobility served me, crowded my 
antechambers ; there is no office which it has not accepted, asked for, 
solicited. Montmorency, Brancas, Noailles, Beauveau, Beam, Mortemart— 
I had men of those families ; but there never existed any analogy between us. 
The steed performed curvets ; he was well trained ; but I felt his chafing. 
With the people it was different. The popular fibre is my own, I came from 
the ranks of the people ; they are acted upon by my voice. Look at those- 
conscripts — those peasants' sons. I did not flatter them ; I treated them 
roughly, but none the less did they gather around me and cry. Long live the 
Emperor ! For their nature and mine are identical ; they consider me as 
their support, — their deliverer against their lords. I have but to make a 
sign, or only avert my eyes, and the nobles will be slaughtered in all the 
provinces — they have roused so much slumbering hatred within the last six 
months ! But I do not want to be the king of an insurrection of peasants, 
I think there is a way of governing through a constitution ; I wished for 
France the sceptre of the world, and to secure it for her. I required 
unquestioned power. To govern France, when reduced to her present limits 
or even to her natural ones, it may be that a constitutional system is better. 
Bring me your ideas. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 105 

by their interests to distort the character and misconstrue the 
deeds of the Emperor, but must admit its beauty and correctness. 

" Free elections 1 public discussions ? responsible ministers 1 liberty 1 I must 
have all that, especially the hberty of the press. To stifle it would now be ab- 
surd. Finally, I am the people's man, and if they really want liberty, I owe it 
to them. I have acknowledged their sovereignty ; I must obey their will, and 
even give ear to their whims. Never did I wish to oppress them, nor to ex- 
haust them for my personal interest. I had great designs in behalf of France ; 
fate has willed it otherwise ; I am no longer a conqueror ; I never can be one 
again. I know what is possible and what is not. I can no longer have but 
one mission ; to raise France and give her a government that shall be suited to 
her. I have thrust liberty aside when she stood in my way ; yet do I appreci- 
ate her. I have loved her ; she has been the dream of my youth. Besides, the 
work of my reign of fifteen years is destroyed ; it cannot be begun anew. It 
would require twenty years' time, and the sacrifice of two millions of men. 
Furthermore, I desire peace, but I do not wish to give you any false hopes ; I 
can obtain it only by dint of victories. I do not gainsay the rumor of pending 
negotiations ; yet there are none of any value ; at least they will amount to 
nothing, unless my first battle should recall Austerlitz or Marengo ; to that end 
I should require four months, perhaps even five, to reorganize the army, and 
raise it up to five hundred thousand men. I must then anticipate a hard strug- 
gle — a long war ; to sustain it, the nation must support me, but in return, she 
shall have Hberty. The position is a novel one ; I am perfectly wiUing to re- 
ceive light. I am growing older ; a man is not at forty-five that which he was 
at thirty. The repose of a constitutional king suits me and will surely suit my 
son. 

'[ The return from the island of Elba and the maintaining of the Napoleonian 
djmasty upon the throne, were as a final decision in the contest of kings and 
nations. The judgment was in favor of both parties ; now everything is once 
more at issue, and both may be defeated. One spark will suffice to kindle 
anew a universal conflagration. 

" I had closed the gulf of anarchy, cleared up chaos, purified the revolution, 
ennobled the nations and strengthened the thrones of kings, excited every emu- 
lation, rewarded merit of every kind, and moved back the boundaries of glory. 
If I interfered with the liberty of mischievous political meddlers, it was because 
license, anarchy, all the evils of disorder were still at the threshold. It was 
my wish that the title of Frenchman might be the fairest, the most desirable 
upon the earth ; that the French nation might justly be considered the great 

5* 



106 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

Much as he was above the human standard, Napoleon had his 
faults, and committed errors ; but when the mists of calumny 
disappear, and the bitterest detraction must, at last, give way to 
time, the world will be astonished at the magnitude of his work, 
its utility to mankind, and the generous motives which inspired 
him. It is difficult, indeed, in a character where intellect guided 

nation, giving to the world the example of Reason's empire, of the full exer- 
cise, the entire enjoyment of all human faculties. The progress of information 
was gigantic during my reign ; rectified and expanded itself, because my go- 
vernment was unremittingly employed in making science popular, so that now- 
adays every Frenchman has learned how to think. 

" The condition imposed upon France in 1815, is without a precedent in his- 
tory ; on one side the sovereign, a few thousands of subjects, clinging through 
personal interest to the wreck of a superannuated system ; renegades from, all 
parties constantly talking of their devotedness to the throne ; chambers, desti- 
tute of energy, of prudence, squandering the nation's resources, and making it 
utter through their addresses an undignified language, abject flatteries which 
degrade a great people ; and foreigners as a sole siipport. For how was it 
possible that the army should not be distrusted ] A soldier can only while 
away the languid tediousness of a barrack life by speaking of the dangers he 
has encountered, of the battles which he has heard narrated by the paternal 
hearth ; and how can a Frenchman speak of war without uttering the name of 
Napoleon — without fiUing each warlike fancy with the remembrance of history ? 
On the other hand, thirty millions of Frenchmen, whose every interest is con- 
nected with the Revolution's handiwork ! What can result from all this, save 
two nations-upon one soil, irreconcilably bent on mutual destruction, and whose 
blind internal dissensions will lower their country to the last rank of nations, 
and furnish foreigners with an opportunity of wreaking their revenge upon the 
greatness of the French ; unless, some day, all the generations of Frenchmen 
either disenthralled by the revolution or sprung from the revolution and impreg- 
nated with its principles, shall seek their salvation in one of those terrible con- 
vulsions in which thrones are shaken to their base. 

" I had, I repeat it, shut up the winds of poUtical storms ; the bag that con- 
tained them was rent at Waterloo by British bayonets. I alone might have 
proceeded without storms towards a universal organization which now is no 
longer possible, save by means of frightful tempests." — Count Montholon's 
work on St. Helena. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 107 

almost every act, to ascertain how far his sympathies were 
enlisted in the cause he was called to advance ; but there was 
one expression of the Emperor's I have never forgotten, and 
which was conclusive with me of his goodness of heart. That 
amid the tempest and whirlwind of events, where eagle-like he 
seemed alone to revel. Napoleon should ever have stooped from 
his flight to reflect on the condition of the poor, and devise means 
for their alleviation, is so strange as to make one .instance, at least, 
worth recalling. You remember, he commanded that the funeral 
services of the poor should be gratuitous, and that all their 
burial expenses should be at the charge of the state, saying — ' no 
one has a right to tax the dead ; and why should the poor be de- 
prived, because they are poor, of whatever may tend to console 
their poverty.' One sentiment like this would redeem in my 
mind a thousand acts of arbitrary authority, even if necessity had 
not demanded them. But, Prince, before I leave you, I should 
like greatly, were I not fearful of committing an imprudence, to 
canvass your opinions on the present situation of France. Your 
profound study of the past as displayed everywhere in your 
writings, has enabled you to judge correctly of the egregious 
errors of the present dynasty, and to form the clearest inferences 
of their fatal tendency." 

" Speak on," said the Prince, " I see no reason why I should 
disguise from any one my honest opinions. Besides, the example 
of a conscientious thinker like yourself is somewhat contagious, 
and I like beyond measure the bold frankness with which you 
sincere republicans speak your minds. It is delightful to talk on 
any subject with congenial parties ; and to discuss politics ever 
so superficially with an American is really something so new, 
that it gives additional zest to the subject. Again, you have lately 
been much in communication with some of our most illustrious 
menj and in your reflections I may gather the bearing of passing 
influences. Their ideas of to-day may become the action of to- 



108 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPAETE. 

morrow, and it concerns me nearly to know their precise di- 
rection. 

" Alas, for France, Monseigneur," I responded with a sigh, 
" should the luckless day arrive when we shall be given up to the 
conflicting views and interests of her leading men. No one can 
approach them without admiration of their intelligence, conviction 
of their patriotism, and delight with their urbanity ; but here the 
satisfaction of the stranger ceases. Wide, profound, and elevated, 
are their ideas, but they have no root, for the most part, in the 
new soil which is covering France. The tendency of things is 
towards equality of interests and against class privileges ; but 
public men, instead of recognising cheerfully the course of the 
current, and seeking skilfully to guide it, loiter idly or fretfully 
on the banks of time ; or worse, they try to stem or turn it. The 
interests of your upper and lower classes are opposed, because 
the one has all, the other has none. The minority monopolize 
power and wealth, the majority struggle with want and tyranny. 
There is only one safe course for both, — to meet on middle 
ground, and compromise. The man who could, by eloquence or 
influence, coerce the former, and entice the latter, thus to unite 
and live in harmony, is he who will ' reign in Cyprus ;' not merely 
wielding power, but holding sway over the confidence and affec- 
tions of all classes. Alas, I say again, for I have met no such 
men. Heated by contention, and desperately opposed to any 
concession of power to the people, the one set of public men wan- 
tonly adhere to the domination of the upper classes, and struggle 
by craft and force to maintain abuse. The other and smaller class, 
filled with an honest indignation at impositions so impudent, and 
stung to rage by earnest sympathy with the suffering of the mass, 
proclaim doctrines and insist on changes, that however recommend- 
ed by purity of motives, would by violation of natural laws lead 
to more harm even than they were intended to remedy. I regard 
the present condition of France with pain and apprehension ; and at 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 109 

times am disposed to give way to the strongest expressions of ray 
detestation for the infatuated King. What a mission was his, 
and how miserably has he belied it ! It shakes my confidence in 
the wisdom and honesty of all men, when I behold one who, like 
Louis Philippe, seemed selected as an instrument to effect the 
mysterious and benign purposes of Providence, and so eminently 
endowed for the task, confounding the expectations of the world, 
and basely degrading his opportunities for selfish ends. There 
is only one mode of explaining the phenomenon, for, with the per- 
versity which belongs to his race, he will not concede to the past 
nor allow to the present the true meaning of the events which are 
so deeply engraven on both. He will not see, and the rest are as 
wilfully blind, that these changes so prejudicial to their importance 
and sway are the logical sequences of ages. But the people, 
more experienced and enlightened, gain strength and sagacity 
with every new trial ; and to gull them longer with tricks, or 
menace them with the brutal arm of pov/er, is only to stir their 
contempt, or arouse their fury. The king and his abettors daily 
grow more elated with their fancied security, but it requires no 
gift of prophecy to foresee the end. That he remains on the 
throne a day is because of the difficulty to supply his place. 
Nothing more odious could be found ; but where to discover some- 
thing better that is tangible, is the solemn puzzle. I believe most 
sincerely that the' popular sympathies are with your Highness, 
but fearful obstacles stand at this moment in the way. The future 
is covered over with impenetrable clouds, and the sharpest eyes in 
France, I find, cannot pierce them. Should Louis Philippe die 
on the throne, then will be renewed the struggle which it might 
have been his transcendent merit to have closed for ever. I have 
no doubts of the final result. There is nothing so impossible as 
the failure of the people. Their rights, they know them • their 
interests, they see them ; and their triumph, they, at least, never 
doubt it. It may take time ; it will cost effort ; but they will 
soak the soil in blood ; they will whiten every plain with bones ; 



110 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

they will tear France in pieces, if they have to search for justice 
under its ruins. Until this is granted, there is no hope of a perma- 
nent tranquillity; and to delay or refuse it, is, on the part of the 
aristocracy, not only folly but ruin. In England this game of 
craft has been, thus far, successfully played. Either her states- 
men are greater adepts in deceit, or her people are more patient 
of wrong. But everywhere I see the light breaking, and hy- 
pocrisy and tyranny will fly the glare together. I trust, Mon- 
seigneur, you will make some allowance for my republican ardor ; 
but it is hard for an American to stand by, and survey a conflict 
where everything good and dear to men is staked on the one side, 
against the calculations of the selfish, and the cruelty of the im- 
perious on the other, without giving the plainest utterance to his 
sentiments." 

" You might well doubt," replied the Prince, " my sympathy 
for the unhappy condition of my country, if I were not deeply 
moved by your earnest language, and did I not respond from my 
heart to the honest indignation you display at the treachery and 
open wrong so long and vainly practised against her. The situa- 
tion you have drawn of France is wonderfully truthful. Her 
sufferings and the cause could not be more fully or distinctly laid 
open, and the convictions you announce of the final victory of the 
people over deceits and violence, I share to the same extent. 
There is one point above all in which I coincide, and it is the key 
to my own conduct, which has so often been branded by the less 
discerning as foolish or audacious. The king's retrograde policy 
has become so transparent and his presumption is now so glaring, 
that I deem his hold on public opinion, which in these days decides 
the fate of men and thrones, as entirely lost, and the blow of a 
child is enough to overthrow him, could the mind of France be 
satisfied as to the sequel. Were I, or anybody who had claims 
upon her, to succeed for a moment in obtaining confidence, no- 
thing would be so easy as to assume the crown. But the position 
into which the country has fallen through pretensions equally 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. Ill 

ignorant and arrogant, is full of danger and uncertainty. What 
is to happen when the crisis comes, who can predict ? Well may 
the worst enemies of the king, if they be true patriots, tremble as 
they regard the future which his death or downfall will open, 
unless they hold the panacea that may cure the thousand ills 
which will then break out. He must, indeed, be a wise man, or 
a charlatan, who would then step confidently forward to adminis- 
ter, promising immediate renovation. It was a comparatively easy 
task that which Louis Philippe undertook in 1830. The reforms 
which he was pledged to carry out might have been essayed with 
a moderation that will not likely be accorded at the next trial. 
How melancholy it is to contemplate the generosity of a great 
nation so shamefully abused ; and the faculties and resources of 
a man so experienced and accomplished as the king, utterly 
thrown away. What good for the country he might have 
achieved, and what fame for himself! When such advantages 
as he possessed come to naught, the feeblest may be encouraged to 
undertake. Indeed, it is plain enough that to rule in France 
with profit, the gifts of a great intellect are less needful than the 
kindly suggestions of a good heart. The great work to be done 
is the alleviation of the miseries of the lower classes. I have 
given much thought to this subject, and the simple brochure I 
have published thereupon is at least a proof of my anxiety to 
serve them. It is not merely political privileges they aim at so 
much as practical relief from more direct deprivations. They 
can only, however, be sure of the latter ; they begin to see, by 
securing the former. They must trust to themselves hereafter, 
more than to the fine declarations of their leaders and rulers. 
With the sovereign power once in their hands, he must be a 
weak man, or an arrogant one, who would venture to trifle with 
their just expectations. Many may make the experiment, but 
their terms will be short. What you have remarked touching 
the paltry jealousies or whimsical conceits of our public men is, 
unhappily, too true of the greater number. Their pretension 



112 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

and vanity will necessarily lead to great misfortunes, in which 
both they and their confiding dupes will be necessarily involved. 
It is a strange and afflicting spectacle,, in truth, that men so much 
above the ordinary stamp of statesmen should yet be drifting^ 
about, not in search apparently of the true interests of the 
country, which are palpable enough, but wholly absorbed in 
party schemes or personal objects. All the treasures of their 
learning and eloquence are wasted upon the success of an in- 
trigue, or the achievement of a party triumph. This miserable 
trifling cannot last for ever, and public patience, once exhausted, 
the remedy will be applied. I see as you do the real evils of the 
country. The rich and powerful are obstinate and blind ; the 
middle classes are fearful and indignant ; whilst the masses are 
jaded by want and inflamed by wrong and contumely. Unjust 
laws have favored the interests of some at the expense of the 
rest; but true wisdom suggests, as you observe, the policy of 
a compromise, as the prosperity of all must sufler by eternal con- 
flict. This is the only chance of harmony, and it must come ; 
but when, and whence, and after what trials, hopes, and failures, 
who shall say ? The subject crowds my mind with images of 
fearful omen, and I were dead to the best feelings of our nature 
not to experience at times the saddest presentiments of what may 
come to pass. You believe that the popular sympathies are with 
me. T do not doubt it. He knows little of the French heart 
who questions its fidelity to the memory of the Emperor; and, as 
his nephew and heir, I feel convinced that the day will come 
when my claims will be recognised. Upon this ground alone do 
I justify my expectations ; for what else is there, traduced and 
unknown as I am, to recommend me ? How far I shall compen- 
sate the fond partiality of the nation I know not. The task would 
be heavy, and my powers every way inadequate ; yet why 
should I shrink ? for where shining abilities have failed, good 
intentions merely may succeed ? Were free action given to the 
popular intelligence, it would greatly diminish the labor and 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 113 

difficulty of government in France, and it is neither in my na- 
ture nor desires, presumptuously to substitute my own conceits 
for the wishes of the nation. These should be the only guide of 
a true statesman ; but the vanity of rulers too often tempts them 
into opposition to public opinion, which can only end in their 
final discomfiture and downfall. Montesquieu has uttered a pro- 
found truth on this point, which should be engraved in golden 
letters on the portal of every palace in Christendom. '■'' Ily a 
dans chaque nation un esprit general sur lequel la pnissance m^me 
estfondee. Quand elle choque cet esprit, elle se clioque elle-m^me, 
ets^arrete necessairement.^^^ 

As he was pronouncing these words, the castle-clock struck 
five, and if its iron tongue had beaten against my head, it could 
not have more instantaneously transformed its contents. The 
political lucubrations in which I was buried, vanished as if by 
magic, and my ideas returned at once to my present situation and 
its exigencies. 

" My time is up, Monseigneur," I said to the Prince, with less 
calmness than I write it, " and the Commandant, doubtless, ex- 
pects punctuality." 

" We live under military law here, and discipline is enforced 
even against time," he answered, smiling. We descended the 
terrace with a lively step, and walked towards the building which 
served as his prison in silence. For my life I could not utter a 
word. A thousand conflicting emotions seized me with a sudden- 
ness and force I had not anticipated, and checked my utterance. 
I had been but a few short hours v/ith the Prince, but his charac- 
ter had completely won me. A man of excellent sense ; of lofty 
sentiments ; and — which is so rare in Princes — -of a warm and 
generous heart. His manners so simple and unaffected, his 
person worn by captivity, and faded by ill health ; which told 

* There is in every nation a public opinion on which power itself is founded. 
Where it shocks that opinion, it weakens itself, and necessarily loses its in- 
fluence. 



114 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

with all the significance of words, how manfully his spirit strug- 
gled with the sorrow and gloom of his situation. All these and 
more crowded on my mind during this brief interval, and con- 
spired to awaken an affectionate devotion to himself and cause, 
that has never deserted me since. I was glad to arrive at the 
door of his decayed abode, and prepared to take my leave. 
"Nay," said the Prince, "ascend with me for a moment: we 
have chatted on many kindred topics together, and I would like 
you to carry away some souvenir of our conversation." Bowing 
at his compliment, I assured him I was glad of so flattering a pre- 
text to prolong my stay even for a few minutes. I followed him 
up the same chilly, time-eaten stone stairs, now almost veiled in 
darkness, that I had before ascended, and along the same narrow 
passage to his comfortless little room. Reaching up to one of the 
higher shelves that I noticed before, the Prince took down a 
handsome octavo volume of considerable thickness, and said, 
handing it to me, " Here is a collection of various fugitive pieces 
I have written at different periods, on the Emperor's System ; on 
the English Revolution of 1688 ; on Questions of Domestic 
Policy, &c. You will find little, I fear, to interest you ; but as 
I remarked just now, it will serve to remind you of the topics we 
have so hastily run over this afternoon." As I sti'etched out my 
hand to receive it, he added, " Allow me to inscribe my name, 
with the date and plaCe of our interview." Thanking him for 
his kindness, I expressed the hope that should I ever be so for-r 
tunate as to meet him again, it would be in a far different 
locality. " God knows what may be my fate," he rejoined ; 
" but I recoil at the thought of languishing away in this misera- 
ble dungeon." 

There was nothing more now than to bid him adieu, but yet I 
lingered, reluctant to withdraw. Extending his hand he cordially 
grasped mine, assuring me what pleasure he had received from 
my visit. I replied only by bowing, for really my emotion for 
the moment so mastered me, that language utterly failed me. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 115 

I retired ; and as I reached the head of the staircase, I turned 
round instinctively for a last look at the spot I had just quitted, 
when, to my surprise, I found the Prince had followed to the door 
and was looking after me. Nothing could have conveyed to my 
mind a keener sense of the desolation into which he was about 
relapsing, than this simple act. His face and attitude both be- 
spoke the dreariness and melancholy which surrounded him. I 
raised my hat with an inclination of profound respect, which he 
acknowledged by a salutation with his hand, and descending, I 
saw him no more. 



116 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 



X 



I STRODE hastily across the court-yard ; passed gates, (Jraw- 
bridges, and corps de gardes, without looking to the right or left ; 
buried in thought, I made my way back to the hotel. 

" Eh, Men,'' said Baptiste, who was awaiting my return at the 
porte cochere. " Eh, Men, my master," he repeated, with his face 
almost swelling with curiosity. 

^^ Eh, Men,'' I answered, "order my dinner, car fai Men 
faim." 

There is nothing like emotion to sharpen appetite ; even grief 
of the deepest must eventually yield to the keener pangs of a 
hunger that itself has evoked. I was brimful of excitement, and 
felt I could eat my way through twenty times my ordinary stop. 
This is a very harmless mode of consuming surplus agitation ; 
and I wonder that in rebellious tTmes the " powers that be" do 
not oftener resort to gastronomic rather than the powder and ball 
remedies so unsuccessfully applied. The Marshal Lobau on one 
occasion gave the brawlers of the streets of Paris to drink, and 
cold water proved efficacious enough ; but a good dinner would 
hardly ever fail, I venture to predict, of an immediate restoration 
to harmony.* The English understand the virtues of a good 
dinner beyond all other nations ; and business, pleasure, and 
charity, in that land of turtle and port, is carried on for the most 
part amid the clatter of knives and forks. On the present oc- 

* I refer to the well-known and ingenious act of Marshal Lobau, who 
dispersed in one instant a riotous assemblage in the Place Vendome, at Paris, 
by bringing to bear on them a well-manned battery of fire engines. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 117 

casion it answered my expectations, and I fell back in my chair 
after a hearty repast, subdued, and much softened. I gave way 
to reverie, and Baptiste, though devouring me the while with 
looks of wistfulness, respected my mood. I dwelt on the events 
of the morning — recalling every incident with the utmost minute- 
ness — bringing up every expression, phrase, and remark, with a 
vividness and order that showed how deeply I had been impressed 
with the novelty and importance of what had occurred. Nothing 
kept surprising me more than that I should have played so pro- 
minent a part in this interesting and improvised little drama, of 
one act, the scene a prison of state, and the hero a prince of the 
blood imperial. To this, however, I grew reconciled by degrees ; 
for, from a love of adventure, or some other unknown impulse, I 
have been so long in the habit of getting into scrapes, doing 
strange things, and associating with odd people, that to find my- 
self fresh from an interview of several hours with the captive 
nephew of Napoleon, was far less singular in my eyes than the 
many new and important things he had uttered. For a long 
while I did nothing else than sip my coffee, cross and uncross my 
legs, and mentally browse over the branches and twigs of my 
morning's conversation, that shot in wild luxuriance athwart my 
recollection. 

" Did Monsieur ring ?" said the wearied Baptiste, entering the 
room for the tenth time since dinner. 

" No," I answered, in the mildest tone, as I rose, stretched my- 
self, folded my arms, and thought how I should pass the evening. 
Write, was my first and only thought — take notes of the occur- 
rences of the day — for to forget or overlook an incident, would be 
a fault. The necessity was evident, but I felt undulating like 
the sea after a storm, and to sit calmly down and go poking 
through the lanes and alleys of my brain, for the mass of say- 
ings, which, like Cassio, I remembered, but " nothing distinctly'*' 
as at first : " No, I can't do that ; it's out of the question," I 
ejaculated aloud. " I will go out" — 



118 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

" Where will Monsieur go ?" inquired Baptiste, still hanging 
on in hopes of drawing me into conversation. 

" Why, that's your business to inform me," said I, taking up 
my hat, and setting off in quest of amusement, to the infinite 
relish of my man Friday, who delighted in nothing so much as 
piloting himself and others into mischief. W^hat might have hap- 
penned in the way of " imminent perils and hair-breadth es- 
capes " in any other place than Ham there's no divining, but 
getting into the lone, dark streets of this waif of the middle 
ages, I soon perceived that the horizon of fun was narrowed 
down to some very common-place diversion indeed. After 
being knocked against more than once by some village stragglers, 
for it was black as Erebus, and breaking my shins half a dozen 
times over stone posts in the streets, I drew up in despair for a 
consultation with Baptiste, in front of a solitary ray of light 
which beamed from the friendly window of an industrious doer- 
up of other people's linen. Quite a piquant object was that 
pretty-faced washerwoman of Ham, with her high Norman cap ; 
her round, plump arms, with the sleeves tucked up ; bustling 
about and carolling merrily, and plying her flat-iron with the 
rapidity, grace, and steadiness that a limber opera-dancer does 
her foot. "' 

"Well, what's to be done, Baptiste ?" I asked in my extremity. 
The puzzled valet no doubt scratched his head in the darkness, 
for he made no answer, when the faint click of billiard balls 
drew us with alacrity towards an Esiaminet. 

" This will do for the nonce," I muttered as I entered, and 
found myself in a small low room on the ground floor, partially 
lighted, with a billiard-table in the centre. Beside the players, 
there were several lookers-on strung round on raised benches, 
who gave their opinions on any hit or miss of the heroes of the 
cue with an earnest formality somewhat ludicrous. It is sin- 
gular how the French give themselves up to the matter of the 
moment, and whether it is dominoes or dying, a game of fun or 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 119 

reality, it is all the same, they play at both with equal serious- 
ness ; they talk and think of nothing else. The Americans are 
totally unlike in this, for no one thing can absorb them. They 
may try to amuse themselves as they please ; they are sure to 
escape relaxation by allowing their minds to wander to some- 
thing else. Take the case in hand. Here are a dozen French- 
men, players and spectators, all absorbed in the vicissitudes of a 
game of billiards. To have suggested another subject would 
have been an intrusion, almost an impertinence. In America 
the very players, whilst mechanically engaged in the game, 
would have been discussing politics, or talking of trade, whilst 
for lookers-on, — there would have been none. Americans must 
have action, — they must all play at the game of billiards, or of 
life ; to sit round, and talk about it, as the French do 
contentedly, that's not in a Yankee's nature. When he is 
at work even, he is thinking of something else. I amused 
myself with reflections of this sort whilst I was daguerreo- 
typing the physiognomies and behavior of the villageois about 
me. They were all well-dressed persons of decorous deport- 
ment, and were, doubtless, so many worthy cits who sought to 
relieve the routine of the day by a little billiards and gossip at 
night. In France it is no loss of respectability to frequent une 
salle de hilliards, as with us. There are divers reasons for this 
to be found in the different character and habits of the people of 
each. But in France carousing is not an adjunct of such 
amusements. The vague object I set out with, for I had one, I 
soon set about accomplishing. For my own satisfaction I was 
anxious to discover what extent of Bonapartism really existed in 
France nowadays. Whether, in a word, the fanaticism which 
everything French everywhere in the world manifests for the 
memory of the Emperor, overflowed in any degree upon his 
descendants ; and if so, how deep ; and if not, wherefore. By the 
result of my investigations I would succeed, at least, in finally 
making up my own mind, whether I did anybody else's, or not. 



120 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

as to the future chances of a Bonaparte in France. I had by 
some short process, where feeling more than logic I suspected 
had prevailed, long since come to the conclusion that the 
Bourbons once fairly out of the way the Bonapartes would be in 
their places. The Emperor was sure of this at St. Helena 
when he boasted, that do what they might the day would come 
when his hat mounted on a stick and carried across France 
would raise an army that would defy opposition. I agTeed with 
him quite, but to defend myself against the incredulous, I was 
determined to find data. So one after another, I engaged with- 
out exciting their suspicions my new acquaintances of the Cafe 
of Ham into conversation, always preluding with a prolonged 
look at the billiard table, followed by the exclamation, that " if 
Monsieur who had just missed the carom had only struck a little 
more, la moindre du monde, to the right he would in all pro- 
bability have succeeded.' The extreme fairness of this erudite 
observation never failed to meet with universal assent, and thus 
established in general form, I would venture daintily to draw my 
next neighbor quite unawares into political conversation. After a 
joint conversation of all that was, I approached the really 
delicate ground of all that might be. It is passing strange that 
at this time of day, under the enlightened sway of Louis Philippe, 
a Frenchman, no matter what his consequence or insignificance, 
should shrink with undisguised timidity from uttering his 
opinions, however profoundly entertained. The prudent 
burghers of Ham jumped away, like shy horses from the 
saddle, when I approached a definitive question. It was 
only by a persevering process of cornering them that I could 
infer from their dodging what they liked, and what they didn't; 
and from this skittish sort of evidence I should deduce that the 
prisoner of H^am might count on a pretty lively show of hands 
if the question should ever be put there as to his future destiny. 
Baptiste meanwhile had not been idle. A cafe was his element, 
and five minutes were not elapsed before he had pronounced 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE, 121 

oracularly on the best liqueurs of the Bourgeois and was well 
advanced in the confidence of the landlady. After impressing 
both with a due sense of his consequence, and possessing himself 
of all the secrets of the menage, he turned his hand to more 
general matter. Whenever my eye caught him he was the 
animated centre of an attentive group, and at the rate he was 
progressing, I think a week would have sufficed him to have im- 
bued the quiet town of Flam with strong barricading propensities. 
I observed on leaving the Estaminet that the billiard table was 
deserted, and that another kind of game was playing for, where 
balls were talked of, but not ivory ones. 

After breakfast the next morning I sat down to memorandize, 
but my mind was a wool gathering, and I could not after divers 
efforts compose myself to write. I began to tremble for the con- 
sequences. Here was this long and important conversation of 
the day before to chronicle, and not a note of it had I yet 
recorded. Then I would seize my pen, but not a recollection 
would obey my bidding. What was to be done — trust to 
memory ? — there was no help for it ; but luckily I have some- 
thing of a memory to confide in. From an early aversion to 
calligraphic exercises I have always set down in my mind what 
most people put in common-place books, and the consequence is 
I have built up a receptacle quite adequate to the comfortable 
stowing away of all my vagaries of deed and action, and which, 
unlike the tomb, is generally ready to give up what it has once 
swallowed. It was seized with a strange fit of paralysis, this 
memory of mine, on the day in question, but I felt a blind con- 
fidence in its resuscitation. It had carried me triumphantly 
through the fifth book of Euclid at a collegiate examination ; 
and I always considered it from that time, like Caesar's wife, 
above suspicion. Yes, I concluded, as I closed my desk, I will go 
back at once to Paris, and there amid familiar objects, and out of 
sight of that gloomy old fortress, I shall recover my ordinary 
mood and obtain a vent for those locked-up items that now defy 

6 



122 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

me. I rang for Baptiste to pack me up, which he dispatched 
with marvellous readiness, delighted to return to his idolized of 
capitals, which he should now enter a hero, the bowed-to of the 
Emperor's nephew. 

" Tout est pret, Monsieur,^' he said, as he turned the key of a 
carpet-bag, " shall I order the horses '?" 

He disappeared at my nod in the affirmative. The usual 
preliminaries of departure being gone through, I was JQst about 
descending, when a messenger from the Prince was announced. 
" Show him up instantly," was my answer ; and a very gentle- 
manly person in black, with that quiet air of confidence which 
bespeaks good-breeding, was ushered in. It was Charles Thellin, 
whom I can hardly better introduce to my reader than in the 
rather over-charged language of the loyal author I quoted so freely 
from in the beginning. '' Charles Thellin," he writes, " has been 
honored from his childhood with the functions of first valet de 
cliambre to Prince Louis. The Prince has raised him to the 
title of friend, and all who know him, love and esteem him. 
Queen Hortense nobly acknowledged his services, when on her 
death-bed she expressed a wish that Charles Thellin should always 
remain with the Prince, her son. Charles Thellin has made the 
desire of the pious mother the first duty of his life, as it was the 
first yearning of his heart." All the favorable things I ever heard 
of Monsieur Thellin, were borne out by his appearance and 
behavior. He came to bring me the compliments of the Prince, 
and to assure me of all the pleasure my visit had afforded the 
lonely inmate of the fortress. It was natural enough that so rare 
an event should enliven for a moment the spirits of the Prince, 
and it was all the more diverting that it should come from a quarter 
so little expected — all the way from America. I chatted for some 
time with the confidant of the Prince, and this side-view of his 
character, its profile as it were, was the more interesting, as from 
the closeness of the approach, I could detect all that was peculiar 
and original about it. Monsieur Thellin told me a number of 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 123 

interesting facts touching the double dealing of the government, 
which, anxious to obtain certain conditions from the Prince, 
played wantonly on his natural anxiety to see once more his only 
parent, in sinking health. 

" Well, I am astonished," I exclaimed, after listening to these 
details, " that the King, who is reputed so skilful in finesseing, 
does not take the word of the Prince, and let him go visit his 
father. Whether he returned or not to his dungeon, the King 
would in any case receive loud applause for so magnanimous and 
kind-hearted an act." 

" Yes, Monsieur," remarked M. Thellin, in his deferential 
Way, " that would be a high-minded course ; but the government 
knows too well the loyal nature of the Prince to doubt for an 
instant the fulfilment of his pledge. He would assuredly come 
back to his prison, and this would secure him the credit and 
sympathy of all charitable persons. The government prefers, 
then, the charge of cruelty, to risking the smallest chance of 
the Prince obtaining the least hold on the esteem and affection of 
the people." 

" Well, this Machiavellian policy, Mons. Thellin," I said, with 
a shake of the head, " may be considered very adroit, but I put 
no faith in it. The makers of labyrinths often lose themselves in 
their own windings. I grieve for the Prince, but rejoice it is my 
happy lot to live without the sphere of these detestable intrigues. 
Adieu, Mons. Thellin," I added, rising, " deliver this letter to his 
Highness. It contains my parting salutations." 

In a few minutes more I was in my carriage, at the door below. 
There was quite a bustle at my departure. My visit to the 
Prince, and the circumspection of the police, had given me a 
deal of false consequence in the eyes of these simple villagers. 
There is no telling what fictions Baptiste had been weaving around 
their excited fancies ; but there was a deep-set persuasion that I 
was somebody — they could not imagine who — (I don't wonder), 
and the innocent attempts I had made to clear myself of these 



124 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

troublesome suspicions, only fastened them the stronger. Had I 
been openly a Prince or a General, or even a respectable marchand 
des curiosit^s ; very well, they could have seized that — but I 
was nobody ! that mystified them. After nodding to the landlord, 
touching my hat smilingly to the landlady, and bobbing my head 
quite grandly to all the curious throng about, I was just giving 
the word for a start, when M. le Maire advanced, not to pay me 
official honors, but to say, that he had ordered me the best horses 
in his stable, for he was the maitre des posies, and that the postil- I 

lions had his acquiescence to gallop sans discretion. Oh, thinks 
I, if they do so much for his visitor, how many horses would they 
lend the Prince to carry him back to Paris ! Thanking Mons. le 
Maire with a knowing look, in spite of the gensd' amies, who stood 
gravely inspecting these proceedings, off we went with a spring 
and a jerk, at a rate that soon afforded me an outside view of that 
musty old Ham. I passed in full view of the fortress, and I was 
half-disposed to look the other way, for I knew my last gaze would 
give me a twang. But human nature, like the moth, seems fond 
of singeing its wings, for I no sooner resolved that I would spare 
myself these painful reflections, than I put my head out of the 
window, and never lost sight of the castle till it was clear out of 
view ; but I will not inflict on the reader my sensations, which 
they can well imagine if they have half the sensibility for the 
sorrows of the unfortunate I readily give them credit for. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 125 



XI. 



It was not far from dark when we stopped somewhere — I never 
knew then, or since, — but I was charmed with the curious 
antiquity of the little old town. Every object I passed, the houses, 
the squares, the fountains, even the very dogs, it struck me, run- 
ning about, had a stunted, worn out, mouldy look, which captivated 
my imagination, and promised me a sort of pleasure, that of all 
others I revel in. Descending at the auberge, where my host was 
waiting, cap in hand, to bestow his welcome on me, I merely 
ordered dinner, and strolled off to enjoy the few last rays of sun- 
light still flickering in the west. Baptiste looked disconsolately 
after me, for he was hungry, and had none of my enthusiasm for 
the ancients this side of the Roman empire or the other. The 
fact is, it has often occurred to me, that none but an American 
knows what it is, in all its suffocating depths, to be wonder-struck 
at the hoary monuments which past ages have bequeathed us. 
Coming from a land cut out of the woods, as it were, but yester- 
day ; fresh from a " boundless contiguity" of lath and plaster ; 
his recollections teeming with bright red bricks and newly-painted 
everything, how his eager eyes and modern fancy are seized and 
overpowered by objects that are sprinkled all over with centuries. 
He stops and stares as I did, in the narrow and crooked streets of 
the nameless town ; scrutinizes whilst he holds his breath, the 
dates on the walls, and counts on his fingers' to make sure he is 
not under a delusion, the hundreds of years back these tenements 
were erected, tTiese streets have been trod, these fountains have 
been drunk of, and these cathedrals frequented. The sweetest 
hours of my life, it seems to me, have I spent in these ponderings, 



126 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

till I have been nearly smothered by my feelings, or starved 
from forgetfulness of my dinner. Your European, born amid 
these relics of the past, grows up familiar with them, and can 
know nothing of the strange inspirations they cause in the unpre- 
pared heart of the American. It is a region of sensation for the 
first time opened, and what a luxury it is to the dreamer ! In this 
expansive mood, choke-full of unutterable fancies, I came across, 
a little way off the street, a venerable, half-decayed village 
church. This was a relief, for the mind, weary with its retro- 
spection of earth and men, finds comfort in communing with God 
and space. 

Night was closino; in as I entered a low door at the side of this 
time-worn edifice. The solemnity of the hour deepened my 
emotion. I could faintly distinguish the rude, massive outlines 
of the Norman architecture, so imposing from its simplicity and 
strength. A double row of stout columns ran through the centre 
of the church, which in the taste of the epoch were singularly 
low and heavy : having very much the appearance of having 
sunk under the weight of centuries into the earth beneath. Nu- 
merous tombs were disposed in regular line up and down either 
side, surmounted in the old style with a recumbent marble statue 
of its inmate, wearing for the most part the habiliments and badge 
of the respective rank of each : a Bishop crowned with his mitre; 
a Nobleman with his coronet. Some religious service was going 
on at the lower end before an altar decked with images and tall 
lighted candles. The chant of the priests, with the hoarse, gut- 
tural sound of the musical instrument used on these occasions, 
had a strange and undefinable effect. It seemed to my excited 
faculties like an invocation to the dead about " to be alive again" 
— to rouse up with the things of night, and do their spiriting. I 
almost expected to see the statues slovvly rise to their full length, 
like the nuns in the scene of the churchyard in Rohert le diahle, 
and take to polka-ing up and down the ghostly aisles. I aban- 
doned myself completely to the mysterious intoxication of these 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 127 

" thick-coming fancies," and gave my mind up to its own wan- 
tonness. What vague sentiments of dread and awe seem to 
haunt the heart, which, shunning the sun-light, are evoked in 
moments and places like these ! The emptiness of life echoes 
under our feet, and our glance falling on the gloomy abyss be- 
yond, sends a chill through the blood, and sets the flesh to 
creeping. It is profitable to vv^ander among the dead at night. 
It is like ice to the hot temples— it coois the fever of life, and 
allays the burning thirst of ambition. The world and its toys ; 
eternity and its mysteries; these are speculations that never visit 
us on the mart, or in the arena. Therefore, I repeat, it is good to 
take a turn among the tombs, occasionally. This was the dis- 
cipline I was undergoing, as I groped my way amid the silent 
company about me. The chant had died away, the priests. 
were gone, and I was quite alone in this deserted old church — 
nov/ shrouded in darkness. My fancy kindled, and my eyes 
began tD strain, i was just in the humor for seeing ghosts — 
which has happened to me more than once — when, lo, sure 
enough, I found myself of a sudden surrounded by spirits, " white, 
black, and grey." They peeped at me from behind pillars ; sat 
straight up on their ov/n monuments, and the wings of others 
rustled in the air. Some looked sad — others diabolical. Some 
gazed kindly — ^not a few frowned darkly as they swept by. What 
horrid sights the microscope reveals to us ! A drop of water and 
a grain of flesh teem with life invisible to the common eye. 
Could the thin air around be exorcised, and compelled to give up 
its secrets ; how know we what- terrors would unfold themselves ? 
Why should not air be peopled like matter, and to doubt the ex- 
istence of a phantom world — — . Just here I tripped in the dark, 
and fell into the cold embrace of a doughty knight in stone, who 
was lying on his back over his own grave. This rencontre 
scattered my musings, and startled me into a sense of my where- 
abouts. I popped out of the first door I could find, and made my 
way with the aid of a friendly gensd'arme back in all haste to 



123 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

my hotel. Baptiste had no idea of martyrizing himself for my 
amusement, and had eaten his dinner long ago. His racy chat 
served to season mine, and I was glad to dissipate in his pungent 
anecdotes the charnel-house vapor.which hung over my spirits. 
It may be salutary to commune with apparitions, but it is plea- 
sant to come back to this world of flesh and blood, and eat turiot 
d la crime. 

I ordered the carriage after dinner, to the discomfort of Bap- 
tiste, who had been ingratiating himself with the black-eyed 
landlady, and drove on to Compeigne that night. The next day 
was fine, and I made the best of my way to Paris. We stopped 
about eleven in the morning to change horses, and, as usual, the 
vehicle was surrounded in a trice by an importunate army of 
beggars, comprising all the halt, lame, and blind of the village. 
The worst of these plagues on travellers in Europe is, the attempt 
to stir his charity by the exhibition of some disgusting objects of 
deformity or mutilation, which in the shape of a baby with no 
legs, or the bare stump of an arm, is thrust in his carriage win- 
dow, and bobbed under his nose, accompanied with the most 
dismal bellowings "to look at it; to examine if there was the 
least imposition ;" till in horror you buy at any price your im- 
munity from such persecution. In the present instance I threw 
on either side a handful of sous as far as my arm could hurl 
them, and while the beggars set off on a rough-and-tumble 
scramble, I slid out of one of the doors, and telling Baptiste to 
follow when ready, I made my way along the main road till I 
got clear of the town. I had not advanced far before I perceived, 
sunning himself on a stone bench by the side of the causeway, 
one of those battered relics of the "grand army," that never fail 
to excite my liveliest interest. The history of these men is a 
glorious romance, rife with daring exploit, miraculous escapes, 
and fearful perils. No age has witnessed the deeds they dared, 
nor rivalled their fanatical devotion to their leader. In the eyes 
of the French peasantry their renown encircles them like a halo, 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 129 

and they are regarded with affectionate reverence. Their thril- 
ling anecdotes of strange lands and terrible scenes of carnage 
make them the favorite guests of the village fireside, and the 
petted orators of the cabaret of the long winter's evening. They 
are dispersed all over France, and their influence is undisputed. 
Woe to the government they condemn, for their crutch would rally 
the masses like the banner of the cross of old. I seated myself 
familiarly near the veteran, who, faithful to his old habits, gave 
me a military salute. He was a fine looking old fellow, a little 
the worse for wear. His was an honest, hearty red face, with 
twinkling grey eyes, sly enough in their wqnks, and fiery enough 
in their rage. His wooden leg was stretched out like an orna- 
ment before him, and the other shrunken limb hung dangling 
down, as if ashamed of having survived. He wore the cross of 
honor on the breast of his faded coat, no doubt a gift from the 
hand of the emperor. 

" Eh Men, mon militaire, how goes the world with you ?" I said, 
regarding him with great favor. 

" Merci, Monsieur, only so, so,'' he answered, inclining I'espect- 
fully ; " these are dull times, and we old soldiers are out of 
place. Ah, mon Dieu / what lives we used to lead" — and he 
drew himself up at the recollection. 

"Yes, those were glorious days, 77ion vieux," I said, humoring 
him ; " what great battles, and splendid victories ; what a fox- 
chase you had of it through Europe, and what glory to see 
the tri-color float over every capital you met in your way !" 

" Ah, Monsieur," returned the old guard, wiping his eyes, " we 
shall never see those days again, jamais. How great was France 
then, and how low were her enemies. We suffered much priva- 
tion and fatigue, but we bled freely, for how it rejoiced our 
peasant hearts to trample on the thrones of the Holy Alliance. 
Vive V Empereur .'" The veteran began to warm with his 
souvenirs, and I traced the revolutionary enthusiasm which had 
given birth to such prodigious valor. 

6* 



130 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

*' Bravo, mon Sahreur /" I exclaimed ; '^ you did not bivouac 
about Germany for nothing, I see. You carried democracy along 
with you, and when you were not preaching it out of your guns, 
I dare say you administered it pretty boldly by word of mouth. 
The pretty women, I suppose, were the first converts, eh, massa- 
creur des femmes .?" The gallant son of Mars stroked his 
moustache, and smiled a broad acknowledgment of his youthful 
levities. 

" But tell me," I continued, " how did you treat the poor 
peasants you were quartered amongst ?" 

" Always kindly, toitjours,'^ replied the old soldier ; " we 
Frenchmen, you know, iourgeois, are not savages. We made 
love to the women, 1 don't deny it, but when we picked up their 
gibberish we amused the men, too. Sangdieu, how they opened 
their eyes when we told them what had happened in France — 
how we had sent our king, priests, and nobility travelling, like St. 
Denis, without their heads." 

" Oh, you old propagandist, is that the way you went planting 
French seed about Europe," I said, smiling; "and if a whole 
crop of revolutions should spring up one day, we will then know 
where the mischief came from. But the wars are over now — 
the Emperor is gone — and see how much better off are those 
peasants yonder tilling their beautiful lands, than bleaching battle- 
fields with their bones." I touched a wrong chord here, for the 
wooden leg of the soldat d'' Austerlitz began to show signs of im- 
patience. He took out ;his snuff-box, and plied his nose vigo- 
fously. I took a pinch, which seemed to soothe him. 

" Qui, mon voyageur, V Emj^ereur ri'est plus,^' said his old fol- 
lower, raising his cap reverentially, " the Emperor is gone, but 
are we any better off for that ? We work harder, we pay more 
taxes, and, sacre tonnerre, everybody may pull France by the beard 
nowadays. If the Emperor fatigued us in war, he didn't forget 
us in peace, for who built our post-houses and our school-houses ? 
who drained our meadows, and who ordered that stone bridge 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 131 

there ? Ah, la paix, they give us plenty of peace, but it costs us 
very dear." 

" You don't seem to be in love with Louis Philippe, or his 
policy," I remarked in a careless way. The imperialist eyed 
me almost contemptuously — said nothing — but kept up an inces- 
sant fire on his snuff-box. I observed the carriage approaching, 
and I was reluctant to part coldly with this fine old remnant of an 
heroic age. I was sure, by a word, to revive his good humor, and 
establish myself permanently in his good graces. " Devinez, mon 
vainqueur,^' I said ; "guess, if you can, my victor of Wagram, to 
whom I was talking of the Emperor, yesterday, and I will double 
this golden image of your former sovereign," slipping a Napoleon 
unawares into his hand. The old soldier gazed at me in the 
utmost perplexity. " Well ! if it shall be a secret between us," 
I observed, putting on an air of strict confidence, " it was the 
Prince Louis I spoke to yesterday. " 

" Monsieur saw the Prince Louis yesterday ! saw the nephew 
of my Emperor !" uttered the wonder-stricken Bonapartist, in a 
tone of great deference, and trying at the same time to make his 
wooden-leg accessory to his standing up, which I prevented. 
" Yes," I added, " I saw him yesterday, and I hope we shall both 
see him again one of these days, but not in that direction," — 
pointing to Ham. 

" Monsieur/' stammered out the fanatic, quite stifled by his 

emotions, " Monsieur f " but he got no further, whilst his 

eyes were moistening fast. I shook him cordially by the hand : 
"Adieu, mon hrave.^' He returned the grasp warmly — " Adieu, 
Monsieur f^' and — " Vive VEmpereur .'" he shouted. 

" Vive V Envpereur /" I responded. 

" Vive VEmpereur .'" cried Baptiste, who was looking on from 
his post at the carriage door. 

" Vive VEmpereur /" screamed the postillions, cracking their 
whips, whilst the horses neighed and capered as if they wished 
to share also in the enthusiasm of the moment. 



182 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 



XII. 



I REMAINED in Paris nearly a month after my return from 
Ham, and I spent no small portion of my leisure time very 
agreeably in sounding the depths of Bonapartism, wherever 1 
ventured out into the open sea of politics. As my own ubiquity 
was by no means adequate to the extent of investigation I was 
anxious to carry out, I formed a select battalion of my friends, 
male and female, into reconnoitring parties, who pushed their 
lines of observation every day to a limit equal to their zeal in the 
cause, and at night reported in various piquant anecdotes, the 
results at which they severally arrived. In this way I got by 
proxy even into the solemn precincts of cabinet ministers, and 
their grave faces and eloquent shoulder-shrugs in reply to the 
seeming accidental remarks which I had carefully suggested 
beforehand, enabled me to draw conclusions sufficiently exact as to 
the chances of support or of opposition a representative of the 
imperial family would meet. The ground I reserved for my own 
especial survey was amongst the masses ; and I attribute no small 
knowledge thus acquired of their character, habits, and informa- 
tion, to the random motive which then inspired me. Everywhere 
among the people, the souvenirs of the empire glowed with the 
splendors of romance. Their imaginations kindled, and their 
feelings rose to enthusiasm as they dwelt on the genius of the 
Emperor, which dazzled them with its surpassing brilliancy in 
whatever sphere it shone. 

I found them without any correct ideas of the Prince Louis, 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 133 

of his character or motives ; but regarding him in the light of 
the heir of Napoleon, they manifested the greatest interest for his 
fate. They all seemed to look trustingly forward to the future, 
totally unconscious of what shape it might take, but still blindly 
confident that it would afford them relief from present incum- 
brances. The restoration of a Bonaparte became less and less 
doubtful in my mind, as I widened the circle of my research, 
but though certain as one of those contingencies the future would 
bring forth, yet I could make no approximation to the precise 
time of its occurrence. 

Of all my emissaries, incomparably the most active and 
efficient was the indomitable Baptiste, who enlivened my break- 
fast every morning with copious details of his previous day's 
investigations. It turned out, before long, as I have already inti- 
mated, that he was a zealous and influential member of several 
secret societies, which, having for their object the political 
amelioration of France, were perfectly organized, and ready to 
accept the earliest available means that offered. The information 
1 obtained of the number and discipline of these formidable bands 
was curious and startling. They were far from being made up 
exclusively of the idle and dissolute, but included many indi- 
viduals of high intelligence and respectability, young men 
thirsting for action; honest patriots discontented with the govern- 
ment ; politicians with sordid motives and military officers 
inflamed by ambition. The sum total of these, if they could be 
accurately ascertained, would fill my reader with astonishment, 
but an estimate may be formed of their force and danger, from 
the fact that I knew of one association consisting of four thousand 
men, headed by a general officer, every man of whom was under 
oath to effect the objects specified. This body was devoted to the 
interests of Louis Napoleon, and all were bitterly opposed, of 
course, to the direction of the actual order of things. It is not 
to be wondered at, therefore, that in the street riots, which occur 
so frequently in Paris, such numerous and well-disciplined com- 



134 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

panies of men suddenly present themselves, and act with such 
intelligent uniformity under the recognised direction of skilful 
and courageous leaders. 

These secret confederacies of factious men, conspiring against 
the order and constitution of society, abound to an incredible 
degree in this agitated metropolis, and a steady, though often 
invisible warfare is constantly going on, as it were under the 
surface,, between these determined bands of desperate anarchists, 
and the regular forces, civil and military, of the existing govern- 
ment. This is a state of things unnatural, as it is to be feared 
and regretted. That it is the result of an unhealthy body politic, 
cannot be denied — and if regular channels were freely and safely 
opened for the expression of the public grief, that the effect would 
be to disperse and render useless these alarming hordes of plotting 
conspirators — ever fermenting like an unseen volcano, and ready 
to burst forth and overwhelm society — is equally apparent and 
unquestionable. Baptiste went to Ham in my train, and the 
intelligence he gathered, which, in the prolific soil of his 
unfettered imagination, soon grew and expanded, no doubt, to an 
inordinate extent, exalted him into a person of very considerable 
consequence amongst his associates of the holes and caverns of 
Paris. Every hour not given to my services was devoted to his 
more stimulating functions of conspirator ; and no small part of 
the night, instead of passing it in bed, was spent by this restless 
farceur in scouting about Paris, sounding opinions and volun- 
teering his own. Amongst other eccentric performances in this 
way, he took it in his head to frequent the cafts where the 
students of the Polytechnic school for the most part resorted. 
His easy volubility and consummate impudence never failed of its 
object, and I can hardly doubt if he had resolved on an interview 
with the king himself, but he would have effected it in the course 
of the day. Baptiste assured me there was universal dissatisfac- 
tion with the government pervading the Polytechnic school, which 
in fact had a legitimate source in the bad feeling the ministry 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 135 

had lately manifested towards that distinguished institution. 
These valiant and accomplished young men had largely con- 
tributed to the success of the revolution of 1830, and the only 
return now contemplated by the government which their virgin 
swords had elevated, was to remove their pleasant but dangerous 
proximity at Paris to some spot more favorable to quiet study, 
and less exposed to the temptation of taking part in riots and 
revolutions. This was the height of royal ingratitude ; and is it 
to be wondered that these indignant youths gave way to disaffec- 
tion and evil intentions ? Should the throne of the barricades 
ever be discussed in the streets again, I am pretty sure the 
students of the Polytechnic school will not draw arguments in 
favor of its stability. That's one prop lost, beyond a doubt. 

From the interest I took in the welfare of Prince Louis, as well 
as" from the curiosity I displayed as an attentive listener to the 
entertaining items which he daily unbudgeted, Baptiste began to 
fancy that I was not indisposed to try my novice-hand at the 
exciting game of plot-hatching ; and on one occasion, and with 
all due formality and circumspection, he informed me there was 
to be a meeting that night of a phalanx of the faithful, and that 
my presence would be cordially welcomed ; indeed, was expected. 
My obsequious Figaro of valets, who was so ready to contrive for 
me a rendezvous, environed with all the fascinations of danger 
and mystery, with a party of unknown and scheming adventurers, 
was sorely discomfited when I received his uncouth proposition 
with hearty laughter. "No, no, Baptiste," I said, when I re- 
covered my composure ; " though a little given to vagaries, and 
partial to adventures, yet they must be so far regular as not to 
interfere with the rights or interests of third parties. I have no 
objection, none, to take a spectator's place when any of your 
French melodramas of conspiracy or insurrection are going on ; 
I don't even mind risking a peep behind the scenes ; but there's 
prudence enough, to say nothing of principle, mixed up with my 
taste for romance, to make me decline donning the toga of a 



13'6 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

Catiline and taking a part in the terrible drama of Revolution." 
This was not the only instance in my life where I was rewarded 
for my discretion, for observing next day that my bustling brusher 
of coats and constitutions was quieter and paler than his wont, I 
learnt to my edification that the conclave of the previous night 
had hardly assembled, before the police broke in upon them, and 
marched the greater number off to the conciergerie. Baptiste, 
who was ever ready for an emergency, always manifested a 
marked partiality for a place near the door, and as the garde 
municiyale rushed in on this occasion, he popped out without 
troubling himself about the denouement. 

Whilst lingering in Paris, I wrote occasionally to the Prince, 
and in my first letter I thought it would, perhaps, enliven the 
solitude of his prison, by sending him some of the sprightly gossip 
of the capital, and I spiced my letter with anecdotes, not unlike 
those related above. 

His first reply was so striking and characteristic, that it can 
hardly fail to interest my reader, while its publication, however 
unauthorized, cannot but be serviceable to the Prince, since so 
little is accurately known of his real disposition or pursuits. I 
subjoin it with my apologies to its respected author for the liberty 
taken, while I make at the same time my grateful acknowledg- 
ments for the flattering opinions expressed of his visitor. 



Ham, October 6th, 1845. 

Monsieur — 

I have been extremely anxious to ascertain your address, in order 
that I might thank you, not only for the visit you paid me, but for the 
warm sympathy you manifested in my behalf, and which has touched 
me profoundly. Your letter of the 3d, which I received to-day, affords 
me a double gratification, for while it gives me news of you, it enables 
me to acquit myself of a legitimate obligation. 

It is true, that I grieve under the pressure of my defeats ; and that 
public opinion has not entirely rallied to ray side ; but I can only hope 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 137 

to reconcile it by devotion to my scientific labors,* and by my resigna- 
tion. I have, besides, deliberately resolved to have nothing more to do 
with politics ; and I entreat of you as much for your own sake, as 
mine, to put little faith in the stories that may be told you ; for Paris 
abounds with agents of the police, who often state falsehood to discover 
the truth. Believe only what you see ; and hear only with your own 
ears. 

If my position be painful, it has also its compensations; and one of 
the greatest consolations I experience, is to receive from honorable men 
like yourself, proofs of interest and attachment. Receive, then, Mon- 
sieur, with my thanks, the assurance of my highest esteem and consi- 
deration. 

NAPOLEON LOUIS. 

M. Henry Wikoff, Paris. 

* The Prince is engaged in writing an elaborate work on the History of 
Artillery, from the period of its invention, to its present improved state. It 
will occupy several volumes in octavo. 



ADDENDA. 



I VISITED London, in December, 1846, and had the great satis- 
faction of meeting there the Prince Louis Napoleon, which I little 
anticipated when last I bade him adieu at Ham, the previous 
year. He had managed, as all the world knows, to make his 
escape from that dismal abode some months before ; and the mo- 
tives which led him to this bold and successful attempt, were 
certainly of an urgency and gravity sufficient to justify it. The 
increasing feebleness of his father's health foretold an approach- 
ing dissolution, and repeated messages were forwarded to his 
afflicted son, entreating his immediate presence at Florence. 
The friends of the prince made constant and fruitless appeals to 
the government for his temporary liberation, but advantage was 
taken of this cruel emergency, and conditions were demanded it 
was impossible to accept. The necessity of effecting his escape 
thus arose, and though highly distasteful to him to resort to such 
means, yet, rather than fail to cheer with his presence the lonely 
bedside of his sinking father, dying amongst strangers in exile, 
he determined to take this course. It was only after a painful 
struggle that he decided ; for his failure, he knew, would be 
followed by unsparing ridicule and pitiless taunts.* When his 
determination was made, he set about instant preparations to carry 
it out. After long complaint, the government had tardily con- 

* I have since learned, from a mutual friend, that the Prince had formed the 
desperate resolution not to survive his defeat, for he armed himself with a poni- 
ard, to plunge into his breast, should he be discovered and arrested. 



140 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

sented to make some repairs in his uncomfortable quarters, and 
on hearing the fact that workmen were about visiting the fortress 
for that purpose, the ingenious thought struck the Prince, to array 
himself in similar apparel, as offering the easiest, and apparently 
most certain mode of escape. On the day selected for his event- 
ful experiment, he rose early, and began at once to disguise him- 
self in the rude materials which his faithful follower, ThelUii, had 
duly prepared. Disencumbering himself of his whiskers and. 
moustache, he clothed himself in a capacious red wig, blue 
smock-frock, a pair of corduroys, much the worse for wear, and 
added to his height by a huge pair of wooden sabots. This done, 
he was ready to descend, but the first difficulty was, to disarm the 
vigilance of the two jailers at the door below. This was effected 
by his physician, Dr. Conneau, inviting one into his room for a 
moment, whilst Charles Thellin occupied the other. The Prince, 
carrying a board on his shoulder, which he employed still further 
to conceal his face, made his way undisturbed into the court-yard 
of the citadel. Now began the real dangers he had to contend 
with — to elude the attention of the officers on guard ; to escape 
the observation of sentinels ; to pass the porter's lodge unchal- 
lenged ; to clear in safety the drawbridge, and the two grand 
portals of the Chateau — these offered a series of risks and encoun- 
ters enough to chill the stoutest heart. He advanced firmly, 
passing numerous groups of soldier.^, till within a few paces of 
the Concierge, when a common clay pipe which he had in his 
mouth dropped, and broke with some fracas at his. feet. An 
officer near by, reading a letter, looked up, and regarding him, 
made some commentary on his awkwardness. The Prince, to 
hide his confusion, stooped to pick up the fragments. Recover. 
ing himself instantly, he pushed on, and getting by the porter's 
wicket, made his way through the first gate, over the bridge, and 
now he was beyond the second gate. He breathed freer, and 
could with effort only restrain himself from running, so impatient 
was he to avoid the chance of further accident. His present!- 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 141 

ments were well-founded ; for whilst still within the view of all, 
he heard some workmen hallooing after him, and, turning, observed, 
to his horror, they were walking briskly towards him. It was 
a moment of dreadful suspense. Not knowing what course to take, 
he stood still, apparently unconcerned, when, to his inexpressible 
relief, one of the men, now close upon him, cried out, " Oh, 
it is only Pierre ! " and, satisfied that they had recognised a 
comrade, the whole party wheeled about, and went off. The 
tribulations of the Prince were not yet over, for his dog having 
slipped away from his keeper, came barking and yelling after 
him. His signs of joy were so manifest, that had it been ob- 
served, detection would have been infallible. The Prince, in a 
sharp under tone, ordered the dog off, and, as if conscious of his 
master's danger, the intelligent brute instantly obeyed. In a few 
minutes more, the appointed spot was reached, where Thellin 
was anxiously awaiting with a cabriolet and fast horse, and the 
Prince leaping in, fled with all possible speed on the high road to 
Belgium. After rapid relays they arrived without incident at 
the railway station, where pursuit was no longer to be appre- 
hended. 

Not long after the Prince had left his room, the commandant 
came to make his usual morning visit, and was received by Dr. 
Conneau, who inforrned him that the Prince was confined to his 
bed by indisposition. Expressing his regrets, he went away, and 
returned as customary in the evening, when the same excuse was 
repeated. This time, however, the wary officer demanded as his 
right, a view of the Prince's person, though cautiously apprised 
that he was sound asleep. He still insisted, and on approaching 
the bed, the trick was discovered, and the escape of the Prince 
made known. The alarm was given, but, happily, too late, for 
by that time the fortunate captive was in Brussels. 

On getting to London, the first thought of the devoted son was 
to reach Italy ; but the French government, enraged at his flight, 
applied to the foreign states in alliance with it, and obtained their 



142 NAPOLEON LOTUS BONAPATITE, 

refusal to allow the Prince to enter their territories on any pre- 
tence whatever. Not long after, his father, King Louis, died, de- 
prived of the only consolation he coveted on earth — a last inter- 
view with his only son. 

I received these interesting particulars from the mouth of 
Prince Louis, on my first visit to his residence in London, at the 
close of 1846, as before mentioned. His spirits were still cloud- 
ed by the painful circumstances attending his father's death, nor 
had his health yet recovered its tone, after so long a confinement. 
After I had conversed with him upwards of an hour, on the occa- 
sion alluded to, he informed me that his cousin Napoleon (son of 
Jerome, ex-King of Westphalia) was on a visit to him, and that 
he desired that I should make his acquaintance. The Prince 
sent him word, requesting his presence, and in a few minutes 
young Napoleon made his appearance. I was talking as he en- 
tered the room, and as I rose to salute him, the words dried up on 
my lips, so startling was the effect of his extraordinary likeness 
to his uncle, the Emperor. I gazed on him so fixedly for a few 
moments, that I felt it was necessary to explain the cause of my 
abstraction. He was pleased with my observations, though evi- 
dently accustomed to their import. He was but twenty-four years 
of age ; but his face and person seemed that of a man at least 
ten years older. He is much taller than his illustrious ancestor, 
but in the shape of the head, and the moulding of the features, it 
was impossible that the skilfullest sculptor could fashion a likeness 
to surpass the marvellous handiwork of nature. The short, 
glossy black hair, the ample brow, the finely-chiselled nose and 
mouth, the well-defined chin, the glittering eagle-eye, whose color 
it was impossible to scrutinize ; all these world-known traits, 
beaming with hereditary intelligence, and covered over, as it 
were, with the identical olive complexion of the Emperor, com- 
bined naturally to produce an impression for the first time on the 
beholder, which, to say the least, none will ever forget who has 
experienced it. Still more curious, — the movements and action 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 143 

of the nephew helped materially to deepen the immediate sense 
of resemblance awakened, for they were rapid, abrupt, energetid", 
decided. For a while I was inclined to suspect some premedita- 
tion here, in order to keep up the illusion ; but I soon discovered 
that an incessant activity and play of intellect was the real cause 
of these outward manifestations. 

The young Prince seemed quite familiar with my antecedents, 
and we soon got into lively conversation. I had an admirable 
occasion, which I took care to improve, of comparing and con- 
trasting the characteristics and powers of the two cousins. 

It so happened, that after a little time, an argument sprang up 
between the Prince Napoleon and myself, on the subject of slavery 
in the United States. He took the European view of the case, 
condemning the institution on principle, and deploring the unhap- 
py contradiction between the professions of our chart of indepen- 
dence and their practical nullification in the odious retention of 
negroes in bondage. He spoke with the warmth of sincere con- 
victions, and with the eloquence of a man inspired with the 
loftiest conceptions of human liberty. I agreed with him cor- 
dially in all his noble declarations on principle, but begged him 
to consider dispassionately the origin and condition of the system 
amongst us ; to ascertain the facts, and weigh the circumstances 
of this particular case, as in no other way could a correct opinion 
be formed in the premises. I then explained the hideous traffic 
by which the English nation had imported into her indignant colo- 
nies the kidnapped slaves of Africa — ^how that domineering 
government persisted, in despite of the entreaties and threats of 
her American subjects, in establishing slavery within their con- 
fines, until, at last, it became a vested interest, so firmly consoli- 
dated, that when the colonies becam.e free, it could not be imme- 
diately extinguished without a vital blow to the existence of large 
portions of the community. The shame of its introduction into 
the North American States would stain for ever the escutcheon of 
England ; but the prodigious difficulty of exterminating it was 



144 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

left to her embarrassed victims. The institution had struck its 
hateful roots into all parts of the confederacy, and it was seen at 
the beginning by an intelligent and patriotic population, that but 
one mode remained of adjusting the grievance — that of compro- 
mise. On this sacred ground the gradual diminution of the evil 
had been steadily going on ; and that by one method or another, 
by emigration to more distant territory, and by voluntary manu- 
mission, its final extinction was at no late day confidently antici- 
pated. In this moderate way, but with more fulness of detail, I 
presented the question, and while it abated somewhat the ardor of 
my disinterested adversary, yet with the intemperance of youth, 
and the earnestness of deep conviction, he still argued for sum- 
mary measures. I was singularly struck with the demeanor, im- 
partiality, and practical sense of the Prince Louis on this occa- 
sion. He sat as an arbiter between us verbal combatants, and when 
the moment offered, he would, with admirable precision, and 
great force of logic, sum up our several arguments, and draw a 
conclusion so just it was impossible to appeal from. Whilst 
sympathizing with his cousin in his aversion to all slavery on 
general grounds, yet he constantly decided " there was no other 
v/ay of treating the question with us than by temporizing. It 
might be painful to Americans ; it was, no doubt, discreditable in 
foreign eyes, thus to tamper with so precious a stake as personal 
liberty (though many thought bondage was the normal condition 
of the negro race), yet it was, in his view, the only wise, humane, 
and practicable solution of this irritating pFoblem."* 

During my stay of a month in London, I had constantly the 
honor of meeting the two princes, both at their residence, in so- 
ciety, and in places of public resort. Everywhere they attract- 
ed great attention, and met with marked respect. Their illus- 
trious lineage ; the chequered career of Prince Louis, the thrill- 

* Some three months later than this, I had an interesting conversation with 
the eminent Lamartine on this same subject, and his remarks will no doubt be 
read with avidity, whenever it may be in my power to give them to the public. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 145 

ing likeness of the Prince Napoleon to the Emperor ; above all 
their modest and dignified deportment, were collectedly so many- 
claims to public notice and esteem, which even their ancestral 
enemies, the English, were, to their honor, prompt to allow and 
testify. For my own part, always convinced that these princes 
were destined, sooner or later, to play a prominent part in French 
politics, I took especial interest in studying their individual cha- 
racters and political opinions. I was more and more impressed, 
after repeated observations, with their rare personal worth, and 
superior accomplishments. Amiable, unaffected, sincere, and 
high-minded, they were besides totally free from those loose 
habits and debasing vices which so frequently corrupt the tastes 
and pervert the minds of men in their rank of life, who have sel- 
dom the strength to resist the seductions which surround them. 
In politics their positions were widely different. By tempera- 
ment, but more by reason, the Prince Louis had habituated him- 
self to cultivate opinions always moderate, but ever definite. He 
seemed to regard the present as a natural compromise between 
the past and the future. He recognised the stately flow of pro- 
gress, but was only solicitous to regulate its current to fertilizing, 
not inundating the new institutions sprung up over the world. 
Whilst he was not opposed to a Republic in France, he doubted 
gravely if society was sufficiently advanced to afford it a stable 
foundation there. His cousin Napoleon, on the contrary, with all 
the benevolence of youthful impulses, was not disposed to stop 
and reason coldly on the safety of existing interests, but broadly 
and sternly took his stand on the manifest rights of the masses. 
Heated at the recollection of their accumulated wrongs, he flung 
his gauntlet fiercely at the feet of the aristocracy, and seeking no 
terms, and desiring no truce, he declared himself ready for a 
war of resistance and desolation. In these moments, the hot 
blood of his uncle seemed to course through his veins, and his 
dauntless spirit to flash in his eye. He spoke always with the 
greatest animation, while his well-rounded sentiments were de- 



146 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

livered with an authority that made it rather a venturesome task 
to weigh or contest them.* I remember another discussion of his 
worth quoting. Some two or three days before my departure 
from London, I was dining with the Prince Louis and a distin- 
guished party, when it turned out, in the course of conversation, 
that the princes were going to a fox-chase the ensuing day, with 
the Queen's hounds. I observed, at random, that much as I had 
resided in England, where this sport was in such universal favor, 
I had never had the curiosity even to go to a cover. " Well, then, 
you had better join us to-morrow," said the Prince Louis. 

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," I answered, *' on 
the condition that your Highness will excuse me from engaging 
in the hunt; for though," I continued, smiling, "you seem will- 
ing to compromise the destinies of France by risking your life in 
this break-neck amusement, yet I am by no means disposed to 
put that contingency between myself and the smallest chances of 
popular preferment that may overtake me hereafter." A hearty 
laugh at the bluntness of this unsportsman-like declaration went 
round the table. 

" Very well," returned the Prince, " we shall be happy of your 
company on your own terms. So, Thellin, see that one of the 
horses we are to use to-morrow is not a hunter." 

" And do me the favor," I added, at the risk of more merri- 
ment, " to give orders, Mons. Thellin, that he is ' nice and tame,' 
as the ladies say, for I am sadly out of practice." 

The next morning at seven I was at the Prince's residence. 
His carriage was already at the door. After a hurried breakfast 
with him and his cousin, we got in, and flew off* over the fine 

* The Prince was reading, at this time, with great attention, an English 
book, by a Mr. Mcintosh, against the misgovernment and corruption of the 
British aristocracy, which he kindly lent me to peruse. I found it written 
with considerable ability, much truth, but too strongly tinctured with an acri- 
monious spirit, diminishing its authority. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 147 

English roads, in the direction of Windsor, as fast as the fleet 
horses could carry us. 

We had some twenty miles to go to meet " the field/' where 
our horses had been sent the niffht before to await us. The 
Princes wore the customary uniform of the English hunt : red 
coats, short clothes, top boots, and hats (caps would be, it strikes 
me, more suitable). The brisk air of the morning, our rapid 
pace, and the lovely English landscape, though crusted with 
frost, soon dissolved all ceremony, and gave a bubbling flow to 
our spirits. After a deal of lively chat, I got into a political 
argument with the Prince Napoleon, when occurred the animated 
scene I alluded to above. The existing state of Europe was 
reviewed, and the inflammable state of France commented on. 
" Whilst the policy of all the monarchies was retrograde, the 
spirit of the people was inflexible and progressive. The late 
high-handed outrage of the Holy Alliance in a further division of 
the Polish territory, violating the treaties of 1815 — the obstinate 
refusal of all political amelioration — the stupid infatuation of roy- 
alty, which imagined its power securer than ever before ; all 
these betokened a coming crisis, which could only lead to an 
European war, and with all his heart he would like to take a 
part in it." These were the far abler exposed views of the 
Prince Napoleon. I agreed with him in his just survey of 
Europe, but could not sympathize in his warlike sentiments. 
" If violence must come," I said, " then I preferred, for the sake 
of tha oppressed people, revolutions in their governments to con- 
quests abroad. That domestic policy was infallibly changed by 
a successful revolt, whilst a foreign war might be made a plea 
for greater tyranny at home. War was, for the most part, in my 
eyes, the game of kings, and like politics, as had been said, it was 
the madness of many for the gain of a few." In this strain I 
reasoned. The Prince Louis listened with the utmost good 
nature to the zealous defence of our respective positions, but 
every now and then, in a single sentence, which displayed his 



148 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

entire mastery of the topic, he would give his judgment, and so 
conclusively, that dissent was in vain. He allowed " that war 
was in the eye of reason and humanity every way obnoxious, and 
was a responsibility that no nation should lightly assume ; but 
that in human affairs, epochs arrived when all ordinary expedi^ 
ents of reconciling conflicting opinions seemed exhausted, and 
that the passions of men irresistibly demanded an appeal to force ; 
that he looked on war with repugnance, but that in the actual 
state of Europe, it seemed to him as inevitable. The national 
sentiment of France at this time," he thought, " was a war of 
sympathy for the rescue of oppressed nationalities, where her 
interests and her feelings both were interested. A general war 
of propagandism," he did not conceive, " was the true role of any 
nation." I could not refuse assent to ideas so rational, and his 
cousin was satisfied with their approximation to his own. Taking 
the fact into consideration, that the theme was war, and the 
nephews of Napoleon were the disputants, it was one of the 
most interesting discussions I ever engaged in ; and so absorbed 
was the attention of all, that when, of a sudden, the carriage 
stopped, we looked round with some wonder, at what could be the 
possible cause. The fox-chase had been completely lost sight of; 
and the din and clatter of neighing horses, screaming servants, 
and yelling dogs, which in a moment surrounded us, presented 
a strange and almost ludicrous contrast to the scene which had 
just passed. I felt acutely the descent from such high engross- 
ment to the ignoble pastime before us ; but the senses must be 
entertained as well as the mind, and it is better after all to run 
after the tail of a fox, than the heads of our fellow-creatures, in 
the more savage sport of war. We all mounted in a trice, but I 
lingered behind a moment to contemplate the two cousins as they 
rode off. I was curious, besides, to see if the resemblance was 
kept up by the Prince Napoleon on horseback, to the impetuous 
Emperor. I don't know if I was ever more astonished than at 
the singular transformation of character which now took place. 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 149 

The Prince Louis, who bestrode a noble animal, graceful and 
nimble as a fawn, and which he managed with consummate ease, 
lost, at once, all his habitual reserve and gravity, and became 
the confident, bold, and dashing cavalier. His cousin Napoleon 
whom I expected to find headlong and reckless, exhibited, on the 
contrary, the utmost caution and discretion. There was a com- 
plete exchange of traits. The Prince Louis, so calm in council, 
displayed in action the daring of his fearless soul ; and his cousin, 
whom I thought so precipitate, now returned under the steady 
guidance of a sober reason. Eleven o'clock was the hour of as- 
sembling, and we galloped into the place of rendezvous, a large 
open field, at the precise moment appointed. A numerous band 
of sportsmen were already there, who recognised and saluted the 
princes as they advanced. The scene was new to me, and full 
of animation. The red coats of the huntsmen, the prancing steeds, 
the yelping dogs, the bustle, stir, and gaiety all around, made it 
quite a picture, just like the thousand-and-one I have seen painted. 
I have always found the best way to diet is not to go to table ; 
and the surest way not to run after a fox is to stay at home. The 
scene before me was contagious, and operated alike on me and 
my horse. He pawed the earth and tossed his head. I buttoned 
my coat and settled myself firm in the saddle. A tacit under- 
standing sprang up as by magic between us,— that whatever 
might happen each was to do his best. All in a moment there 
was a shout, a yell, and a spring, and away went fox, hounds, 
and hunters — and amateurs. It was smashing work, but my 
steed had mettle, and I kept up with the foremost. But now came 
the ordeal — a hedge of five feet rose grimly before us. " I would 
have preferred a ditch," I thought to myself, " to drown my 
shame in case of failure." However, I approached with resolu- 
tion enough to leap over twenty hedges, and I never doubted that 
my horse was of the same mind. Prince Louis was the first to 
clear it : if he could only get over all other obstacles as easy. 
Now, whether my Pegasus had ever taken lessons in physics, and 



150 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

understood the mysteries of momentum, I don't know, but instead 
of springing over the hedge, as I expected, he made a full stop 
before it, and the inevitable consequence was, that I went over 
without him. I empanelled myself into a jury of one, on my 
back, and brought in a prompt verdict of " served him right." 
What business had I a fox-hunting ? I got up and exchanged 
looks with my brute of a horse, who rather, I thought, seemed to 
enjoy the joke from his lively snorting, which, in my humor, 
sounded very like a horse-laugh. I hesitated : shall I try it again 1 
Just then up dashed a troop of Cockneys, who with the same mo- 
tives came out to see the fun, but with more sense attempted to 
take no part in it. 

" Where are you going ?" I cried, as they brushed by. 

« To head 'em off." 

" Head 'em off, it is !" I exclaimed, jumping on again, and once 
more on the high road I took summary vengeance on my long- 
tailed dodger. After a tremendous gallop of a couple of miles, 
through the short turn of a lane, we came full upon the pack. 
Now, this was really a beautiful sight. There ran poor reynard 
with his nose to earth, flying like the wind. Not far behind 
coursed some two hundred dogs, singing a sort of canine chorus, 
which for method and execution is not often beaten at the opera. 
Then hove in sight the half-spent huntsmen ; but bless me, what 
disarray a half hour had made. Some were here, ,gome there, 
and not a few nowhere, that I could see. The Prince Louis 
flitted past like a vision, the first after the hounds. I looked round 
for his cousin, who came soon after on his fine black charger. 
There was a hedge in his way, but instead of leaping over at first 
sight he turned his horse lower down where it was easier, and 
took the jump in safety, and went on his way a galloping. It is 
against my nature to retreat in anything, unless for substantial 
reasons, and it is not improbable that I should have tried it again, 
when my dubitations were arrested by a violent blow on the leg, 
which proceeded from a vicious beast standing near me. It was 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 151 

a miracle I escaped a fracture. In my anger I was undecided 
whether to fall foul of the horse or its rider ; but my humor was 
diverted by the naivete of his declaration — -' that the nasty brute 
had an extraordinary propensity of kicking whatever came near 
it" This last incident sobered me. " Jam satis,'' I said, turning 
my nag's head ; enough of fox-hunting and its delights. To wear 
a hrush in my hat is not my destiny. I soon got back to the post- 
house, and exchanging my horse for a carriage, drove speedily 
back to town. 

1 went to Paris right after this, in January, 1847, and then 
had the good fortune to meet another remarkable member of the 
Bonaparte family. I had heard the fashionable world long talk 
of the beauty, wit, and grace of the accomplished Princess Matilda 
DemidofF, daughter of King Jerome, and a princess of the house 
of Bavaria. Her brother, the Prince Napoleon, honored me with 
a flattering letter to Madame DemidofF. I lost no time on my 
arrival in seeking her beautiful residence in the Rue Courcelles, 
nearly opposite the elegant mansion of an American family, in 
much favor with the ieau monde at Paris, the Moultons. On 
ringing the porter's bell one of those interesting objects in my 
eyes, 'yclept "an old servant of the family," presented himself; 
a venerable looking man of over sixty, with the ease of a courtier, 
and such an air of respectability. 

" Madame la Princesse .^" I asked. 

" Sortie, Monsieur,'' said the well-trained domestic, raising his 
hat. 

" What, gone out already V I returned, much disappointed. 
It was only one o'clock. 

" A bow in the affirmative," from the ancien serviteur. After 
a pause I resumed, " I have a letter for Madaine la Princesse 
from her brother in London." 

" Oh," said the surprised functionary, his eyes brightening, " a 
letter from his Highness. Pray walk in. The secretary of 
Madame will receive you." 1 did so, and delivered my letter 



152 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

and card to a gentlemanly man of middle age, who stated that he 
would make known my visit to the Princess, and named two 
o'clock the next day, when, no doubt, it would suit her con- 
venience to see me. 

I was punctual on my return to the Hotel Bemidoff the ensuing 
day j but as I entered the court-yard I found it half filled with 
the splendid equipages of several noble families, making their 
morning calls. This was embarrassing, for I had never seen the 
Princess, a-nd the probability was, that unless I was recognised 
when my name was announced, I would find myself in an awk- 
ward position. But my visit was evidently expected, for as the 
footman ushered me in, a lady near the mantel opposite rose im- 
mediately, and bowed with a cordial smile. It could be no other 
than a niece of the Emperor, for the family likeness was conclu- 
sive. I advanced through a line of brilliant company and made 
mes hommages to the Princess. She inquired fully after her 
brother, and her cousin, the Prince Louis, and then our conver- 
sation became more general. I contemplated her as we spoke 
with great interest, and was deeply impressed by her striking 
beauty. She was rather of under size, but perfectly formed. 
Her head was beautifully shaped, which her luxuriant brown 
hair, dressed d la Madonna, threw into fine relief. Her eyes 
were large and sparkling, and the features classically regular. 
The expression of her face was most captivating, and revealed a 
distinction d'ame — an elevation of character that charmed at first 
sight. She was simply attired in a morning robe of dark cloth, 
gracefully embroidered down the front, and which showed her 
figure to great advantage. Her manners reminded me of her 
brother, and were full of spirit and elegance. Her voice was 
clear and ringing. She conversed with great fluency and viva- 
city, and her language was well chosen and pointed. In short, I 
soon discovered that rumor had not exaggerated the manifold at- 
tractions of the lovely Princess DemidofT. I had several times 
during my stay in Paris the honor of being received by this gra- 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 153 

cious lady, and observed, that like all her illustrious family she 
was devoid of all affectation and haughtiness, which, in a beauty 
so courted and renowned, was the more remarkable. Indeed, I 
was more than once struck, in the course of conversation, with 
traces of acute sensibility ; and under all the pomp of the Princess, 
it was not difficult to recognise unmistakable signs of the true 
and warm-hearted woman. Among her other accomplishments 
the Princess Demidoff sang divinely. Her execution of a French 
ballad, so full of taste and feeling, could not be surpassed. 

I dare not allow my pen to gambol further on this enticing 
theme, lest it might, perchance, glide into an impertinence. A 
simple incident I will merely add to show the genial nature of 
her disposition. During a visit one day at Madame DemidofF's, 
she abruptly asked : 

" Pray, tell me, do you know my brother ?" 

" Know your brother ? Princess," I repeated, looking at her in 
astonishment. Laughing heartily at my puzzled gaze, she ex- 
plained, " Oh, I mean my brother in America,"* — ^^and then she 
went on to say how gratified were all her family at his visit to 
them at Florence some'few years before — how much they regretted 
his wife did not accompany him — and a number of other kind 
remarks that did infinite honor to her character. 

I remember very well reflecting, as I quitted her royal man- 
sion for the last time, " that it was lucky for us of the republican 
faith that the arguments of monarchy were not all so fair as this 
fascinating princess. Otherwise, the world's regeneration might 
incur the risk of an indefinite postponement." 

On the 3d of May, 1847, I left London, and dined for the last 
time with the Prince Louis Napoleon on the day previous. 
There was one incident connected with the occasion, worth, per- 
haps, the relating. Amongst the persons of high rank assembled, 

* The Princess referred to M. Jerome Bonaparte, residing at Baltimore, son 
of the ex-king Jerome, by his first marriage. 



154 NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 

was a foreign ambassador, who was there incognito, since it would 
have been treated as an offence to the reigning family in France, 
if the representative of any European court held communications 
so close with the Prince Louis Bonaparte. I regret that, even 
now, a proper reserve forbids me alluding more directly to this 
distinguished person, who for several years past has shone with 
"bright, particular" lustre in the brilliant diplomatic circle ga- 
thered around the Court of St. James. His rare endowments of 
intellect are only equalled by the conspicuous graces of his cha- 
racter. It was from this person I drew an admission that I am 
going to repeat, and which his candor could not withhold. The 
company had returned to the drawing-rooms after dinner, and 
Prince Louis, at the request of the ladies, had opened a box con- 
taining many valuable and interesting relics associated with the 
emperor. One after the other we examined them with lively 
curiosity, until a tri-colored scarf was taken out which Napoleon 
had worn around his person at the battle of the Pyramids. It 
passed round till it came to me. The idea suddenly suggested 
itself, and I remarked, 

" Pray tell me. Monsieur V Amhassadeur, if this scarf were 
carried waving from the top of a lance from Boulogne to Mar- 
seilles, what do you think would follow ?" 

He hesitated a moment — the company regarded him in silence. 

" An army of 500,000 men would follow," was his sententious 
reply. 



I have finished the budget of my souvenirs connected with the 
imperial family -, though, fearing to exhaust the patience of my 
readers, I have suppressed many, perhaps the most interesting. 
Whatever the deficiencies of style, or irrelevancy of the matter, 
the recent rapid and marvellous rise in the fortunes of the distin 
guished persons I have so imperfectly sketched, cannot but 



NAPOLEON LOUIS BONAPARTE. 155 

impart, it is presumed, a certain value to the subject. Tliere is 
nothing in history more extraordinary than the probable elevation 
of another Bonaparte to the government of France ; it is an act 
not more logical than expressive, on the part of the masses. In 
1815, the fortune of war imposed on them the domination of a 
dynasty they detested. In 1830, it was again expelled, but the 
trickery of designing politicians substituted another equally 
despised. Whatever ruler is now, by the free choice of the peo- 
ple, invested with sovereign power, will, beyond all cavil, be the 
expression of the national sentiment. No such government has 
existed in France, since the downfall of Napoleon. His suc- 
cessors, the Bourbon families, were forced upon France by 
foreign power, or domestic traitors. The election of his heir to 
the Presidency of the Republic will be a consummation as solemn 
as significant. It will be, on the part of the French nation, a 
triumphant refutation of Bourbon policy. It will be an indignant 
condemnation of the abuses committed in their name. It will be, 
in fine, a majestic and an inviolable assertion of their intelli- 
gence, their courage, and their lasting supremacy* — Laus Deo. 



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